The Powerful intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their benefactors

In the left hand corner of this picture is depicted the souls in Purgatory. (Note the angel in blue, who is pulling a soul out of Purgatory in order to take it to heaven). This painting is in a chapel in Rome, Italy.

The Holy Souls in Purgatory are not able to pray for themselves or do anything at all to relieve their suffering: They rely on our prayers and efforts to help them. It is permissible to believe that they can pray for their benefactors. St. John Vianney said: "If one knew what we may obtain from God by the intercession of the Poor Souls, they would not be so much abandoned. Let us pray a great deal for them, they will pray for us." St. Theresa of Avila (Spain) said that she always obtained the favours, which she asked from God, through the intercession of the Poor Souls in Purgatory. We must help the Holy Souls in Purgatory. In the bible it says that he, who stops (closes) his ears to the cry of the poor, shall cry himself and shall not be heard.

Purgatory is real and is alluded to in the bible

Purgatory is part of Catholic doctrine today and always has been from the earliest days of the Church. In addition it is mentioned in the Old Testament as well. The doctrine of Purgatory will not change in the future. See on this webpage the reference to Purgatory from Our Lady of Fatima. When we die we can no longer pray for ourselves, but others can pray for us. That there is a place which we call Purgatory is alluded to in the bible in these words: “It is a holy and wholesome thing to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.” (II Macab. XII., 46)

Horrible Traffic

The following testimony was received on email. My mom used to pray the prayers in the book Read or Rue it, and she also encouraged us to do the same.I never got to pray it until the time when my mom passed away. I was sorting through her things, and was hoping that I would chance upon a letter from my mom, but I came across this book instead, so I thought that maybe this is my mom's message for me to pray the prayers in the book. From then on, I have been helped by the Holy Souls in Purgatory in smalland big things. Thank you mom, and thank you for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Several times I have been helped. I am from the Philippines. Manila is notorious for horrendous traffic and finding parking spaces especially in December. If we can, we avoid travelling to Manila around this time. However on December 9, last year, our uncle died, and we had to attend the wake in Manila. We had no choice, so we had to brave the horrible traffic in Manila. Our flight was delayed that day. The estimated arrival was at 3pm. we arrived at 8pm instead. Because of the delayed flights, the airport was jam-packed with passengers! The taxi we hailed refused us at first. The driver said ,"Ma'am it took me four hours for a route that usually takes me 30 minutes only. I am sorry I will never ferry passengers in the city of Manila.

I pleaded with him, in these words, “please drive us there. We have already been delayed for five hours. We are already tired”. The driver took pity on us, and said "ok I do not know what time we will arrive in your place. To which I told him ,"manalig at magdasal Lang tayo ,Manong , dasal tayo sa mga Holy souls in Purgatory..(Have faith and pray to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.) The driver was very hesitant, but he took pity, especially when he learned that we had come to Manila for a relative's burial. Upon leaving the airport, true enough the cars were not moving, and I could hear the driver starting to grumble"sabi I Ko na nga ba… ..("This is what I said...). My sister who was with me, started praying for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Lo and behold, five minutes afterwards, it was as though somebody had cleared the road for us. We were moving so fast, no stops ,no traffic. The driver was so amazed that we took only 30 minutes to arrive at our destination. He could not believe what had just happened and he said "Ma'am tama kayo manalig Lang,,Christian Po ba kayo? Ma'am, you are right! Just pray and have faith. Are you a Christian?!”

Sales take off

The following testimony was received on email. I work for a large healthcare company. This whole year, my team has been struggling to sell our medical equipment. One salesperson even quit in frustration. The situation looked impossible. I began visiting the Padre Pio shrine near my house regularly. For the first time, I decided to do a nine day novena for the intention of helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory. I tried to pray the Rosary daily, and for each Hail Mary, I tried to picture a deceased relative/friend. When I ran out of people I knew, I offered the specific Hail Mary for the abandoned souls, or those who needed it the most, those about to die, those in more desperate situations than myself. I pictured every Hail Mary helping one soul at a time be released from Purgatory. After the novena, I can say that we were able to close sales deals; one after the other, even improbable ones that I had already written off. This devotion is real and powerful. I thank the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for this miracle and intend to propagate this devotion. Patricia, (Manila, Philippines)

Matching yarn

I promised the Holy Souls in Purgatory, that if they helped me, that I would publish the favour. Here is my testimony. I am crocheting a blanket. It has about seven colours in it. Each time that I crochet around the perimeter of the square, i.e. the blanket, it takes longer to do, and also requires more yarn, which is always a different colour from the previous round. For the past two days, I did just over three sides of the blanket in a beautiful teal colour, but as the work progressed, I could see that the yarn was running out. There was a lot of work in that section, and I was reluctant to undo that work, and redo it in another colour. I prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and asked them to help me with a solution to the problem. After that I checked all the balls of yarn that I had. There were none in the teal colour. A couple of hours later, I noticed in my collection, a piece of knitting, that I did some time ago, in order to learn the technique of making Aran cables. The yarn in this knitting sample was a perfect match for the teal coloured yarn. Part of the knitting sample has been unraveled, and plenty of yarn has been retrieved from it, and I have completed that section of my crocheting. Thank you Holy Souls in Purgatory! (Anonymous)

Best Friends

Pat and I were best friends for many years, but after graduation in 1999, we drifted apart. The last time that I heard from her was in 2001. I did try to contact her, but she never responded. I heard from friends, that she had chosen to cut off all ties with all her university buddies. It hurt me a lot, because we had been friends since we were 13, and also roommates and classmates back in our university days. Last year in July, we were shocked, when a friend informed us, that she had passed away suddenly in her sleep. I attended her funeral at the local Anglican church and paid my last respects. For the past two months, I have dedicated St Gertrude's prayer for her, after she appeared in my dreams looking sad and quiet. It occurred to me, that she probably needed my help, so I recited the prayer five times every night, before I went to bed. One night in March (the 13th March to be exact), I dreamt of her again. This time she looked different. She looked happy and was smiling. She did not say anything, but she wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to me. On the note, she wrote 'thank you for everything'. I was stunned. I looked at her and said ' you were my friend for 26 years. That's the least I can do for you'. She smiled and disappeared. And when she appeared happy that night, I guess that, I have helped her to attain heaven !! Please pray for the Holy Souls. They need us and our prayers. (E. S.) Malaysia.

Amazing results

It wasn't until recently, that I discovered the Saint Gertrude Prayer, and other prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, to help them to be released and to enter Heaven. All week, I have been praying about my rent, utility bills, and other things that have had me worried and restless. As I have been praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and for their intercession, and also to Saint Michael, Saint Joseph, and Mother Mary, I have been experiencing and receiving amazing results day after day, sometimes hour after hour. I am truly grateful and give the Glory to God in the most high. I have also shared with others, how I have been experiencing amazing results, some even shortly after or during prayer, and exactly what I have been praying for. Again I thank God, the Giver of Life, Provider, and Protector. Thank you Holy Souls in Purgatory for praying for me. I will continue to pray for you, and to encourage others to pray for you. (Received on email)

How we got our house papers

The Holy Souls are such powerful intercessors for us. My brother made a down payment for a flat in Thane, to the tune of 4 lakhs. Suddenly there was no contact from the building contractor. After calling many times in vain, my brother was convinced that this was a scam, and he became increasingly desperate. My mother and I learnt about the power of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their benefactors, through a book, which was distributed by a man in our parish, on the anniversary of wife’s death as a remembrance of her. (I think that this is a great idea, instead of giving bookmarks with poetry, which people read once and then forget).

The book ‘Read me or Rue it’ by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan is very simple to understand, and gives detailed information about the intense sufferings of the souls in purgatory. My brother was sceptical but…no surprise…on the 9th day of the novena, his call finally got through. The contractor’s brother informed us, that his brother had met with a serious car accident, and that as a result of this accident, that his brother’s wife had died, and that his brother was in a coma, and had been in the ICU for quite a few days. (Thankfully, his three small children were unharmed).

We prayed for him, and at the same time we were worried about our house papers, since he was the only one who had dealt with us. As the days went by his health dramatically improved, and soon he was back home. When he finally met us, he handed over the keys of the flat to my brother, who was greatly relieved. He had the key with him at the time of the accident, and it still has scratch marks and is slightly bent, which is a good reminder to us, of how miraculously he was saved. In utmost gratitude, we have picked up about thirty to fifty copies from St. Pauls, and distribute these books or leave them in public places, so that others will come to know of the distress of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and pray for them. There are so many homebound people, and also those who feel they have not done enough charity in their life. What not pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory in your own home, maybe while doing the dishes, which is a monotonous job, or while waiting in a queue.

Our Lord revealed to St. Gertrude, that many souls leave purgatory, every time the prayer, that he taught her is said, so I have made it a point to say this prayer at least three times a day. Since we all cannot be great heroes, doing things like visiting prisons, or tending to the sick like Blessed Mother Teresa, I think that it is a small task, that we can offer each day, in order to relieve the sufferings of the Poor Souls, who need our prayers so desperately. Also pray to St Jude, the patron saint of hopeless cases in times of great difficulties and needs. Try it, it works. L. B. (India).

Why do we call the souls in Purgatory “the Poor Souls?”

We call them the poor souls, because they are poor, because they can't do anything at all to help themselves. Think about a poor person without money. What can he buy to help himself? He can’t buy ANYTHING! He can’t buy food, clothes, shelter etc.

Pray for the Holy Souls, ask them to obtain the favours, which your friends have asked you to pray for

One of the best things that you can do, when a friend asks you to pray for him or her, is to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and to ask them to obtain your friend's petition, (healing, employment, financial help, etc.) because The Holy Souls' prayers for their benefactors are very powerful with God, despite the fact that not one prayer that a Holy Soul in Purgatory can say will alleviate his own suffering.

Friendship restored

The following testimony was received on email. I want to thank the Holy Souls in Purgatory for an answered prayer. I was on bad terms with someone, who is very dear to me. I had wronged him, and he was not willing to ever show me warmth again. I started praying for a reconciliation. I said a prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory every hour, despite being busy in the office. I sat silently and every hour I said a prayer. After two days, the person started to warm to me again, and now everything is wonderful, and is back to normal. I thank you Holy Souls in Purgatory, and I will always pray for you.

Fixing up equipment

We were about to go on our holidays, but three days before we were due to leave, our internet connection failed. My husband got on the phone to tech support. No outage was recorded in our area, and the conclusion was that our modem had “died”. A technician was booked for after our holiday, well over a week away! I prayed a Rosary for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and a few hours later, the internet connection was back! The next day, my husband pulled out our car-trailer, which was needed to take our family’s holiday supplies in, and the stop light on it was not working. We would not be able to take the trailer without a working stoplight. My husband stayed up till nearly midnight trying to fix it, but to no avail. My husband said that we needed a mechanic to fix it. He did not know who to contact about that, and worse still we only had one day left to sort it out. I prayed some prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory before going to bed, and in the morning my husband went out and had another try at fixing the trailer stop light and got it to work! (Lydia)

Communication re-established

The following testimony was received on email. I would just like to let you know of a prayer, that was answered due to praying to St. Philomena, St. Rita, and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and also asking for their intercession. I was trying to contact a person who had abruptly stopped communication with me. I sent countless messages through email, Facebook, and texts, as well as making calls. I begged over and over just for an acknowledgment, but there was not even a reply or communication. This went on for thirty three days, with almost daily messages on my part. Tonight I found your website and prayed these prayers, asking for help in reaching this person. I tried again to contact this person, and received a reply. I am so blessed now, that I know what I had to say, was heard by this person. The turmoil that I was in for these days was awful, and the saints and the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and God answered my prayer, and gave me something that I desperately needed. They deserve all the glory. (M. R)

Many favours

The Holy Souls in Purgatory, have been so good to me, since I found out about them. They have generously helped me, with their intercession, to obtain every kind of favour, that I have asked them to obtain for me. I THANK GOD FOR THIS DIVINE PRIVILEGE AND PROVIDENCE. Catherine, (Nigeria)

Boyfriend came back

The Holy Souls in Purgatory really do obtain miracles for their benefactors. My boyfriend came back, when I made one novena for them, and also said the prayer of Saint Gertrude for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and the prayer Sainte Marie Mère de Dieu Corrédemptrice du monde priez pour nous. Amen. (Holy Mary, mother of God, Coredemptrix of the world pray for us. Amen) Theresa (France)

A speedy recovery

Bernie (a man in his seventies), contracted pneumonia. He already had a serious underlying health problem, (angina). The pneumonia put him at great risk. He was being treated with antibiotics. He mentioned the pneumonia to a friend. Bernie was advised to offer his satisfactory merits of the whole year, for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, which he did. He already prayed for the Poor Souls on a regular basis, so this offering increased his help for them. Bernie was healed of the pneumonia a few days after making the offering.

Employment obtained

Thank you holy souls in purgatory, for my husband and my daughter in law both getting a job, and my son for getting approved for his social security! A.M.

A relic of St. Rita, (the Saint of the impossible) found

I lent out my relic of St. Rita, (the saint of the impossible) to a priest, who in turn lent it out to a very sick child in a big hospital. The hospital staff lost it. I was devastated. I prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and asked them to find it for me. (I also asked Our Lord, Our Lady, all the angels and all the saints to find it). I estimate that it had been lost for about nine weeks. (Although it was lost, the priest was not told this for some time). It seemed very unlikely that after about nine weeks, that it would ever be found, but thanks to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and to the whole court of heaven, it was found! Thank you so much for this Holy Souls in Purgatory, and Our Lord, Our Lady, all the angels and all the saints. (anonymous)

Big motivation

The following email shows that, publishing testimonies of the powerful intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their benefactors, is an effective way of motivating others to pray for the Poor Souls. My name is Lucerne, and I am writing from the Ivory Coast. All these testimonies are a big motivation for me, to pray intensely for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Holy Souls in Purgatory, never fail whenever they intercede for us. Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

My sister told me that a former neighbor of ours had died. The neighbour’s name is Maureen Jackson. I prayed for the relief of Maureen’s soul. A few weeks later, a lady named Janet, who works on a Catholic television network, put up a message on a social networking website, that she had prayed for all her social networking website friends, while on a pilgrimage in Italy. Several people posted their messages of gratitude to her on the website. I also posted this message: Thank you Janet. After that I went over to a family webpage on this particular website, and was responding to a post that my sister had posted, when a message floated up on the computer screen, which said that Maureen Jackson says: Thank you, thank you, thank you! (This lady was the very next person to thank Janet for her prayers, after my posting). She did not type in Janet’s name.

This lady has the same name as my former neighbour. I take this striking co-incidence as a sign, that my former neighbor is grateful for the prayers that I said for her soul. I find this to be very encouraging. Never before have I been thanked personally for my prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory! This has a small touch of Padre Pio in it. The Souls used to pop in and thank him for his prayers, before entering heaven! (Anonymous)

On the sixth day of the novena, she again took her son to the doctor for a repeat checkup. The doctor said that my nephew no longer has Lazy Eyes, and that his eyesight can be brought back with some simple eye exercises. He does not even have to wear glasses for his eyesight rectification. C. J. (India)

Help to avoid a grave sin

Susan was praying for the relief of the soul of a dear friend, who had passed away. On one occassion she consumed a whole bottle of red wine, which put her in a very weakened state, but despite this, she was able to walk away from a temption to do a grave sin.. She rightly attributes this help to the prayers of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, who pray for the spiritual and the temporal welfare of their benefactors. (Canada).

A marriage healed

Maria and her husband had applied for a divorce. He had already moved on with another woman. Maria was desperate for a reconciliation and to give their marriage a fresh start and a new life, so she started praying for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, asking them to obtain this favour for her. Maria had lost all hope that her husband would ever leave his new relationship, and return to her and try to save their marriage. Her prayers were answered, and she is very happy because her husband has returned to her, and is working to heal their marriage.

Hospital waived the fees

My friend suffered a heart attack and was taken to hospital. He was scheduled to have Angiography surgery the following day. He telephoned me and asked for help, because he did not have the money to pay for the surgery.

I offered up my merits for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked them to help. I applied for financial help from the welfare department and from other places, (but none of them could help me). Three days later after being discharged, my friend called me to say that the hospital did not require him to pay at all. Thank you Holy Souls. M.W. (Malaysia)

A quick recovery

My neck was paining. The pain was increasing by the minute. I called on the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for a quick recovery. Without taking any drugs I was healed. Thank you Lord. I will always continue to pray for the Holy Souls to be released into heaven. (Anonymous)

Financial help for the trip

My name is Philomena. I read the book; Help from Heaven (Answers to prayer) a couple of days ago. I am interested in all the accounts of the wonderful answers to prayer, but especially those which were granted through the intercession of my patron saint, and also the favours which were granted through the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. At the time that I read the book, I had just been confirmed to go on a trip to Israel. There were some elements in this which were providential. My testimony after reading the book is as follows. I decided to say the Saint Gertrude prayer for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, together with prayers to Saint Philomena.

I did this for most of the day - yesterday. While I was at the hairdressers, I offered up all the pain that I was undergoing, (when I was having my hair braided), for the relief of the poor souls in purgatory, and in virtue of the Precious Blood of Jesus. I asked the Saint Philomena and the Poor Souls to intercede for me, so that I could obtain some pocket money for the trip. In my prayers, I asked them to intercede for me to the Sweet Little Infant Jesus of Prague, because earlier this year, I entrusted all my finances to the little king. I had no money to spend in the Holy Land.

Today I received an envelope with money worth close to fifty dollars. A few minutes later, two of my colleagues asked me about my trip to the Holy Land. I told them about the donation which I had just received. They had an intense discussion, and then they said that they could not let me travel without their contribution. Both of them have promised to given me fifty dollars, so now I am assured of one hundred and fifty dollars. I am now praying for some additional funds, so that I can buy some devotional items in the Holy Land. I am confident that Our Lord will grant me this favour also. Philomena (Uganada)

The link for the book: Help from Heaven (Answers to Prayer) is at the bottom of this webpage. (Mary Ann, website owner).

Help with a house sale

We have been offering many novenas to various saints for three years now, for the sale of our home in a small town. Over two years ago we moved to the city, and have been struggling to meet the payments. We offered a Mass for a soul in Purgatory three days ago, and that day we were due to meet a couple at our home, which is an hour out of town.

We forgot our keys and had to come back to get them. The roads were supposed to be not good for travel, because there had been freezing rain, so we thought that we would end up not going, but thanks be to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, we went and as we drove, we decided to offer a Rosary for the relief of the poor souls in Purgatory, asking them to obtain the favor of the sale of our home.

We managed to get there. The couple loved the house and told us that they would put a down payment to hold our home until the middle of December. Thanks be to God and to the poor souls in Purgatory for their help. About six months ago we had car trouble. It was going to cost us more than five hundred dollars to fix. We didn’t know how we would be able to afford it. Out of the blue my husband's parents presented us with a cheque for one thousand dollars. They told us that they received some money from my husband’s grandmother’s estate, from the sale of her land. She has been deceased for a number of years now.

I found out today that my mom had her come to mind to pray for, at the same time that we received the cheque.

This is another miracle of intercession through the poor souls in Purgatory. They need our prayers, our Masses and offerings for their release, in return they will help us a great deal as Saint John Vianney said!

We would love to have this published, so that many people will see the importance of praying for the poor souls. (Debbie)

Offering up suffering for the relief of a soul

Peter met with a serious accident while he was drunk. He fell down some stairs, and crashed his head violently onto the concrete footpath. He was rushed to hospital, and was there for several weeks. Peter suffered bleeding on the brain. He also suffered for some time from very bad migraine headaches. He offered up his sufferings, for the relief of the soul of his cousin, who had died from an apparent overdose of illicit drugs. Peter no longer has migraine headaches. (My note:when offering up sufferings, unite them to the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ to increase their efficacy).

Denture trouble

Cilia’s denture developed a crack, which was starting to expand. She was worried that it would eventually brake, because this had happened with one of her previous dentures. She booked an appointment with the dentist to have it repaired. The dental technician mended the crack; but when she got it back, the denture did not feel good at all. The dentist and the dental technician did not know what to do. The fit of the denture really bothered Cilia. She had never had trouble like this with a denture before.

For the next week Cilia could hardly eat on account of the poor fitting denture, and she lost a few pounds in the process. She got quite hungry, and was very upset with this situation. (She had prayed to lose some weight, but not in this way, nor in the flu which followed!) Her speech which had always been good was now poor. She was really struggling to speak properly, and was very concerned about the situation. Her lip also hurt. Six days later she had another appointment with the dentist. A different dentist and dental technician were on duty that day, than on the previous appointment. They took great care to deal with the situation, and worked with the denture until it seemed to be much better. This worked for a few days. Cilia was at last able to eat more food, but unfortunately for some reason, her speech was only good for some of the time, and worse still, her gums started to hurt, and again the denture started to fit badly, although she still could eat some food.

Cilia suffered most of the day from this situation. The next morning, she prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory (in honour of the whole court of heaven, especially Saint Rita, the saint of the impossible), by saying the Holy Name of Jesus devoutly on each bead of her Rosary. Cilia asked the poor souls for their help regarding the situation. At the end of this she felt no better, and her speech still did not sound right, however a short while later, the denture fitted well and her speech came out easily and well (for the most part) for the rest of the day.

The next day Cilia encouraged by the progress, again prayed the Holy Name of Jesus on her Rosary beads, for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, in honour of the whole court of heaven. She had no problems at all. Celia had previously read a book which is entitled: The Wonders of the Holy Name. This helped her to understand why the Holy Name of Jesus is such a powerful prayer.

The situation improved greatly. The next day there were no problems at all. The problems came back, and this situation lasted for a few weeks. She struggled to hide her off and on again speech problems from others. An idea then came to Celia. She realized that if she was suffering from this problem, so were many other people all over the world, and that many of them were suffering much worse from this, and from speech problems, eating problems and gum troubles etc. due to poorly fitting dentures, which could not be easily remedied. Celia started to pray both for herself and for people all over the world in a worse situation than herself, because of trouble with dentures. Relief came almost immediately. and soon she was completely out of trouble, and no longer prayed for herself regarding this matter, but for the other people in this predicament.

She now applies this prayer technique to many other situations, and asks Our Lord and the saints to help, heal and strengthen people all over the world who are going through whatever difficult situations that she finds herself in. On reflection about this situation, she realized that this technique is very much like something that occurs at Lourdes and at other Catholic Shrines.Very sick people who comes to Lourdes often temporarily forget, that they came there to ask for a healing, when they look at the other sick people, and see someone much sicker and more in need of healing than themselves. It sometimes happens that this results in the healing of the person who is praying, (although they did not pray for themselves, but for another person to be healed.) In Celia’s case she did not actually forget her own problem, but like the Lourdes pilgrims who came there to ask for a healing, she prayed for those in more trouble than herself. Maybe this was an inspiration from the saints and the Holy Souls in Purgatory. She promised the Holy Souls in Purgatory, that she would publish the favour if it was granted, which it has been.

Healing of the liver

Hi Mary Ann, I came upon this site, when I was looking for information on Saint Gertrude, to relay it to a new friend, who told me that she prays for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. I have many stories to tell of my encounters with them. I went to Catholic Schools, where we were encouraged to pray for the Holy Souls, and also to them. I have become somewhat disabled and cannot get around by myself too easily. It was my joy to go to Mass each morning, and then back to church for a visit between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. in front of the Blessed Sacrament, to say Divine Mercy prayers. I have also for over 20 years lead the Holy Hour, (Eucharistic Adoration.) I try to use my I-Pad to spread the Faith. I am on facebook, putting my faith right out there. I have had many healings, visions, and encounters with evil beings. I see many souls in my dreams.

I will share a story. My alarm clock was working, and I wanted to make sure that, I would get up in time to go to the 8.30 a.m. Mass. I prayed to the Holy Souls to please get me up in time, to go to Mass in the morning. While I was sleeping, I saw two women dressed in black. They were shoving me. I could actually feel pain. Then suddenly, I saw my Godfather who had recently passed away. He was always funny and laughing. He said; hey Junie, get out of that bed and get to church, while laughing so hard. I jumped up and saw that my alarm clock had not gone off, and that it was time to get up! I then realized that my alarm clock was no longer working. I have had so many dreams where souls let me know that they are in trouble. I have had Gregorian Masses said for them, and later on they came back and showed me how they are now; young and at peace. In 2006 I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C with the strongest strain, and I was very close to cirrhosis of the liver. The doctor said that nothing could be done about it, and he thought that I would not survive. I was very much into Divine Mercy devotions, and my intention was to get a Divine Mercy statue and go to a Healing Mass, which I did. I went for a biopsy right after the Healing Mass. The needle got stuck in my liver! During any procedure I say to our dear Lord, I give this to you with my love and joy) however, after the needle got stuck, I said; I will not go through with this procedure again. The pain was so unbearable, that I was advised to stay in the hospital. I went home. That night my dead brother in law appeared to me in a dream. He was dressed in red. He told me that something good was coming. I said; I don't believe it! He said hang in there. I then looked down at my hand and it was covered in red (blood).

Two days later, I received a phone call from my doctor’s office saying I had to take another biopsy. I inquired why. The doctor’s secretary said that she didn't know. I refused. I was asked for my permission for the doctor to confer with Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I said very well. I then called my internist, who said that was the worst news that I could hear. I said to him ‘how do you know it isn't good news?’ After a five week wait, I finally heard this from New York University; don't worry about your liver! We can’t explain it! Fifteen months ago you were right at cirrhosis of the liver. There are 4 stages of liver disease . You are now Stage O. (Praise God.) J.H. USA.

I was experiencing a lot of bronchitis over many weeks. I prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and asked them to obtain a healing for me, and eventually the symptoms went away. (anonymous)

Remember to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Did you remember to say a prayer

for the Holy Souls today?

If you forgot just stop right now

and for the poor souls pray.

Make it one of your daily goals

to pray for the Holy Souls

by Mary Ann Matulis

The nursing home placement

Rita was looking after her elderly father. Rita’s husband was away from home, looking after his own dad. He was due to return home on the twentieth of May to go back to his job. There was an urgent need to find a nursing home placement in the country town that they lived in by the twentieth of May. One of Rita’s friends prayed for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, asking for their intercession for this intention. A nursing home placement to start on the twentieth of May, was offered the very next day.

When the saints go marching in

I just wanted to say that, I love the webpage that you put up for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. I made it my homepage a few days ago, so that every time I go online, I have it as a reminder to pray for them. I have a little story that happened today, and I thought I would share it with you. It is nothing extraordinary but I need to share it with someone. :-) I pray for the holy souls and have Masses offered for them at the holy site of Banneux, here in Belgium. This morning, I was participating in a 15 km walk which was organized by a government association. While I walk, I usually pray for the holy souls as well. At one point, I was alone on the road and walked by a cemetery. As usual, I stopped at the front gate of the cemetery, did the Sign of The Cross, and said a prayer for the holy souls. I then started walking again, and as I was still alone on the road, I said out loud "Holy souls are you there? Can you hear my prayers, or am I praying in vain?" then I felt like singing "oh when the saints go marching in".

I invited the holy souls to sing along. There I was on the road singing that song. :-) If anyone else had been on that road, they would have thought that I was nuts, but I was happy being surrounded by nature, and was having fun, so I kept on singing, and also imagining that there was a large group of beings around me, singing along with me. After the walk, I drove back home, took a shower and checked my emails. I had received an email about a book that talks about life after death entitled "Closer than you think". That was also the title of the email. Because I was still waiting for an answer from the holy souls to the first question that I had asked earlier, I smiled but took it as a coincidence. In a book that I have recently been reading, the author talks about Saint Catherine of Bologna. Tonight I decided to research information about her on the internet, and here is the first site that I found:

http://www.spiritdaily.org/saintsandpurgatory.htm

Here is the title of the article on that page: When The Saints Go Marching In, They Do So With 'Holy Souls'-- If We Pray Them In!

I just couldn't help but burst out laughing, because obviously, they were singing along with me during the 15 Km walk this morning. Of course, it could be a coincidence, but I have to admit it, I suddenly feel....less alone, and blessed! :-) :-) (Nathalie)

A successful operation despite many risks

I pray for relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and know of their powerful intercession for their benefactors. On Wednesday (November 2, the feast of All Souls) I had an operation under general anesthetic, to remove a severely impacted wisdom tooth and also a cyst which had formed around it, which three weeks ago caused an infection. If the infection had traveled to my heart it would have killed me. This operation was delayed for a whole ten years because no doctor wanted to deal with it, because it ran the risk of breaking my jaw during the operation, and of damaging a facial nerve, which would have left me with numbness in my face for the rest of my life.

Without the operation, I would have had to have stayed on antibiotics for the rest of my life. More than one dentist has said that my impacted wisdom tooth was the worst one that they had ever seen. A 3D scan was taken prior to the operation, and like all the x-rays it showed up things to be grim in relation to having an operation, but because the long feared crisis (the infection) had taken hold there was no choice but to operate regardless of the outcome. I promised the Holy Souls in Purgatory that if there was no damage to the facial nerve, no broken jaw, no pain and no swelling of the face, that I would acknowledge this favour.

I did have some initial pain in the first hour or so, which was taken care of with ice packs. There is some swelling which will go down, but I have no pain now (only some minor discomfit) and my facial nerve and jaw are fine. The operation has been a great success. I was told that my face could be numb for up to two months and only then would it be known if that it was going to be permanent! Happily this did not happen at all. My recovery is rapid. Thank you Holy Souls in Purgatory for interceding for me. Many people around the world prayed for me, including people at a Mass at Lourdes, France. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart. (MM) Australia.

Lip trouble

My lips were very cracked and sore for many weeks. I applied the treatment, but it did not really help. I prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and now the lips are healed.

Big health problems

I have prayed for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, when I was in deep trouble with my health, and the prayer has been abundantly heard. I have also asked the Holy Souls in Purgatory to intercede for a friend who had a serious health problem, and that was also granted. (Mary)

Files retrieved after a computer crash

I prayed fervently for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, particularly the Rosary, following a laptop computer crash, and asked for their intercession to retrieve my emails and files. A few online friends also prayed some Hail Marys for the intention. My husband worked hard at trying to fix up the problem, and even rang Dell for technical support. That did not bring us the needed help. One of the problems was that the start-up disk was corrupted, and my husband did not know where he could obtain another one. He then thought of the start-up disk for an old computer, which we once had, which has since gone to the councils pickup of old electronic equipment. Even though the disk was unrelated to this laptop computer, it worked, and the files were retrieved and safely placed on another laptop. Thank you Holy Souls. (Sharon)

Washing machine trouble

Dear Mary Ann, This story is long overdue. My washing machine broke down a while ago. A technician came to my home, to take a look at it. He said that there was something wrong with one of the parts, and that it would take two weeks to order the part in. The cost was about two hundred dollars. He told me to call the company, and said that he would fix the machine, when the spare part arrived. I started praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and also asked them to intercede for me regarding this matter. About an hour later, the washing machine started to work. The Holy Souls have been my best friends since I was in high school. I went through a period where I did not pray much for them, but I have resumed this devotion in the past few years. I have been praying the Saint Gertrude's prayer for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, almost every hour of the day, even when taking a walk. E.D. (Canada)

An unexpected win

Joni gave a donation to; Aid to the Church in Need, (on behalf of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.) A small portion of this was for Mass offerings. About three hours later the phone rang. It was the local supermarket owner, ringing to tell Joni that she had won a prize valued at $1,000.00 in the customer promotional draw. (This was just $100.00 short of her donation!) She was very happy to win the prize, but the real thing that made Joni happy, was that the win signified, that her donation had really helped the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and it showed their speedy and obvious gratitude for the help that she had given them.

Washing machine mark 2

Almost a year ago, I wrote to you regarding my washing machine. This time it was a different part. It had something to do with the control panel. I started praying to the Holy Souls in Purgatory without telling anyone.

My husband spent a few nights working on it. He realized that we would have to order a spare part from the store, and was told that if it did not fit, that it would not be returnable, and that it would cost $180.00. Meanwhile, I have been going to the public laundromat to do our laundry. After dismantling most of the parts, my husband decided that we should just order online, since there is a return policy, and that he would try and fix it. A technician would cost another us another $200.00. I was getting impatient and annoyed because of the inconvenience. I drove to a nearby chapel, where there was Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, I started praying the Rosary, for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Despite my husband's efforts, the machine still did not work. Yesterday, I went again to the Laundromat, and before I left, I told my husband that perhaps he should put all the parts together again, and rerun the washing machine. I continued praying the Rosary, and promised the Holy Souls in Purgatory, that I would offer Masses for them, instead of spending the money, paying the mechanic.

Guess what, after I brought home some clean clothes from the laundromat, my husband greeted me at the door, smiling and said "bad news, the washing machine is working"! I jumped with joy and said "see, I told you that the Holy Souls in Purgatory are very powerful”. I also promised that I would write this testimony to you (for the webpage and to spread the devotion). Every day, I pray the Saint Gertrude prayer. I hope that many souls are being released from Purgatory. I also pray this prayer to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, “I will continue to pray to you and for you. I will also continue to spread the news about you, so that people will pray for you and to you. Please obtain the favours I have requested and help me in my trials”. Let us continue to remember to pray for the holy souls especially those who are close to Heaven. E.D. (Canada)

Keys found

Here I am again to witness to the powerful prayers of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Last week, I was helping a neighbour deal with his infected garden. I was in a hurry to help him, because I have made plans to attend Mass that afternoon. The cathedral is about thirty minutes’ drive from my home, and I was running a bit late.

I remember giving him my car keys, and the rest of house keys to hold. After pouring some powder onto his plants, I went back to my house to put away the powder, and was ready to go to the cathedral, when I realised that I did not have my whole bunch of keys. I approached my neighbour again and asked him for my keys. He said that he did not have them. Thinking that maybe I might have placed the keys in my usual house-keys hook, again, I went back to him and asked for my keys. He said he did not have them. In the next few days and nights, everyone in my family was helping me to search all over the house, but still no keys were found. I started to say a Novena for The Holy Souls in Purgatory. On the fifth day, (exactly one week after I lost my keys), lo and behold my dear neighbour came up to me and apologized, he said he had the keys and forgot about them. Thanks so much to the Holy Souls and Saint Anthony. I am keeping my promise to the Holy Souls in Purgatory that I would write to you! E.D. (Canada)

Abusive mail

John and his wife Lyn started receiving abusive, anonymous letters in the mail. They tried to work out who could be doing this to them. Lyn thought of five people, that she knew, who are in their various ways mentally ill.

It was difficult to pin the person down. The situation was very stressful and upsetting. After several weeks she ruled out two of these five people. Lyn then made a promise to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, (who she prays for) that if they exposed the person who sent the letters, that she would publish the favour, so that other people would see how the Holy Souls in Purgatory can help those who pray for them, and seek their intercession in times of need.

John showed the four letters to a friend, who told him, that he had also received a letter identical to the first letter, that Lyn and John had received. The evidence pointed strongly to one of the remaining three people, but Lyn still had a concern about one of the other two people. She thought that the last letter was very paranoid in the way, that she knew this person to be. She confronted the person who the evidence pointed strongly to. He denied it strenuously. Lyn realized that he was telling the truth. That left a dilemma; if it was not him, then who was responsible for sending the letters. Another man was standing nearby. He said that he had also received letters like this. (One of those letters was identical to the first letter that Lyn and John had received.).

Lyn asked him who he thought was doing this. He named the person, and it was one of the other people that Lyn suspected, (the one who the last letter had indicated the kind of paranoia, that Lyn knew this person had displayed in the past). The man also shared other relevant information as well. (When he named the person, he did not even know that Lyn knew the person). Lyn quizzed him as to why he said this person was responsible, and he told her that it was that person’s handwriting. The chances of speaking to this person, and receiving this information, were to put it mildly; very small, and yet the Holy Souls in Purgatory, made sure this conversation took place.

Lyn also found out, that many people she knew, had received similar mail from this person. Two of them actually knew from the very first letter, who was responsible for sending the letters. (They knew his handwritting and his unbalanced state of mind). Other information came to light as well. The letters were coming from a particular suburb, many miles away. One of the people who was receiving the letters, came across the man, who revealed the suburb where he was now living. (Prior to that, he had been homeless, and had traveled from state to state, and no one knew where he was currently located). On this occasion, the man also made references to Nazis. This was significant, because he had called many of the people that he wrote to just this: Nazis. He said many other horrible things to them in the letters as well. The following day after this meeting, the man started receiving abusive mail again. He had not received not received any mail for a few months. This was yet another confirmation of who was sending the mail. Eventually the letter writer sent mail to a person, who tracked down the person’s postal address, and sent him a letter, which ordered him to leave people alone, and to stop sending them these abusive letters.This did not stop the letters from coming, but John and Lyn no longer feel threatened by them

Financial help received speedily

I received the following testimony on email. I recently came across your website. I love the stories about the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and their powerful intercession for their benefactors. I pray to them, and offer up my prayers for them, and have in return, received many favours from them. One such favour I would like to share, (and one that you may publish if you wish) occurred in December of 2014. My cousin really needed financial assistance with her travels, and it was such a large amount, that we simply could not provide it, and in such a short amount of time no less. While my family worried about how to get the money for my cousin, I immediately thought about offering up Mass for the Holy Souls in Purgatory that week, because I had read many stories about their powerful assistance. I simply left the matter in God's hands. On the Wednesday of that week, a Mass was offered. Less than twenty four hours after the Mass was said, we received a phone call from one of our relatives who was willing to help pay for my cousin's travel expenses; a relative we did not even think would be willing! In my mind, I did not imagine how the money could possibly be obtained, but I trusted in God, and that he knew best what to do. The Holy Souls have truly become my dearest friends. And now, I have finally found a purpose in life, i.e. to help the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Help in the spiritual life

Te Holy Souls have helped me so much. Whenever I have a Mass said for them I notice something good spiritually always happens to me for example, I feel an urge to go to Confession after being away for months and they have helped me whenever I have felt lost or depressed. (from a friend on a Catholic Forum.)

A favour granted by the Holy Souls in Purgatory

A lady who I know was in a desperate situation where she faced bankruptcy. The local council was hell-bent on making her property a "heritage listed property" which means that she would not be able to do any changes to it without their permission and that she would not be able to sell it either. This case went on at council meetings for a whole 18 months. On the day of the final showdown council meeting, she was advised to offer her merits for the month for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and to ask their intercession in her property case with the council. At the meeting that night one of the council members suddenly remembered a similar case where the council got their fingers burnt financially when the owner of the property took the case to the Land and Environment Court and won the case. The council got "cold feet over the matter" and she won the case and was allowed to sell her property. (She did not have the money to pay the next month's mortgage that is why it was so important for her to sell the property almost immediately.)

An emergency dental appointment

Jana rang up the dentist and asked for an emergency appointment. She was given one for ll.30 a.m. the next day. She gratefully accepted this, but she really needed one at least an hour earlier, because of another appointment that she had to attend too. She placed a petition note about this under her statue of Saint Philomena, and also wrote out a prayer in her appointment diary, which reads as follows: “Mary Help of Christians, pray for us, and come to my aid in this Lepanto situation.” Then Jana started to say the Rosary, (which she offered for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and for her other intentions, including obtaining an earlier dental appointment.) She had just concluded two decades of the Rosary when the phone rang. It was the dental surgery. They had had a cancellation, and were able to give her an appointment an hour earlier than the previous appointment. Jana’s problem regarding the timing of the appointment was solved.

A crawling sensation under the skin

Two years ago on the feast of All Souls, November 2, (which is the day that the church designates for everyone to pray for The Holy Souls in Purgatory), I developed a horrible symptom in my face, which felt like insects were crawling under the skin. I consulted a doctor and described the symptoms to him, and asked if he had ever heard of this before. He replied that he had. I have since found out that it is a real symptom, which others have experienced in connection with the menopause, although in my case I have not reached that yet. The doctor did not have a solution. I offered up my suffering for the Poor Souls in Purgatory and prayed fervently for them. I asked the Holy Souls in Purgatory to obtain a healing for me and that was speedily granted. (Anonymous)

A dangerous fever

My daughter, age 6, became quite ill. She had a fever of 103 and I was ready to take her to the hospital. She was miserable and inconsolable. I prayed for her, and asked her to offer up her pain for the poor souls. With the last bit of energy that she had, she uttered out in a weak voice, “I offer it up for the poor souls" I was so proud of her. I also asked them to assist us. Within 20-30 minutes she fell back to sleep. I continued to check her temperature and it dropped about 1 degree every 15-20 minutes until it was almost normal. I then felt confident enough to go to sleep. When she awoke, she had more energy than usual and had no signs of fever or of any other symptoms! Thank you poor souls! (Patrick)

The choir

Anna was organizing Divine Mercy Sunday devotions for her group. She had asked several choirs if they could help out, but they were all unable too. She mentioned this to her friend Cathy. Cathy promised to say the Mother Teresa Express Novena, (the Memorare prayer said nine times in a row) for a solution. She said the novena, and also prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and asked for their intercession to obtain the favour. Anna found a suitable choir a couple of days later.

Much needed rain

Australia had been in a drought for several years, and things were becoming very serious. Many people had prayed for rain and yet things did not improve. Karen thought that prayers to and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory would be a powerful addition to the many prayers which had been already sent up. She had read that the Holy Souls in Purgatory had sometimes granted favours, which prayers to the saints in heaven had failed to obtain. She made a novena for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory which ended on January 10, 2007.

The following month starting on February 11, there was a good rainfall in the NT and in South Australia. Sydney had a large amount of rain which really boosted the dam levels. Outback Queensland had the best rainfall in 25 years. There was good rainfall in Goulburn NSW, which had been in dire straits with its dam levels, and there was rainfall in Victoria which eased the bushfires that were there at that time. All this rainfall had not as yet finished the big drought, but it was a fantastic start.

Healed of high blood pressure

I have been dealing with diabetes for a number of years, along with this comes high blood pressure. Every time that I have a doctor’s appointment, I get very nervous when my blood pressure is taken, and that makes it even higher. I came across a novena for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and I started the novena a week before my appointment. I went to the doctor yesterday, and my blood pressure was normal for the first time in a long time. While the nurse was taking my blood pressure, I was saying the Saint Gertrude Prayer (for the relief of The Holy Souls in Purgatory.) I am having a Mass said for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and I will continue to pray for them by saying the novena, and will continue to have Masses said for their relief. (Carol)

Help to increase business in a difficult economic climate

I have been praying for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory for many years and have had so many favours granted. I read Maria Simma's book about the visits that she received from the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and it inspired me to pray even harder. I am self employed and live in Northern Ireland. The global recession is really starting to hit us now, and I became very worried that my business was going to be affected. I carry out allergy testing and give nutritional advice - a job which I love. The diary looked very empty last week, and I was so worried that I would have no income to bring home.

I felt increasingly desperate, so I begged the Holy Souls in Purgatory to intercede on my behalf, and I promised to have some Masses offered for their relief. When I rang the clinic to check my diary, I discovered to my delight that my diary is almost full of patients! Today I had a patient who is a religious sister and we had a great chat. When she asked me where she should pay, I explained that I don’t charge members of religious orders. She threw her arms around me in gratitude, and I told her that she had to remember me in her prayers. She promised me that she would do this. I offered this up to Our Lord, and asked that these prayers be offered for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Whenever things look really bleak the Holy Souls in Purgatory always come up with the goods! I believe this 100% and nothing could shake my faith in God's Mercy. Thank you dear God for your CONSTANT love and support for my family. NEVER FORGET THE HOLY SOULS. S. L.(Northern Ireland)

A speedy recovery

Susan’s husband Steve was seriously injured. He sustained many broken bones, and was in lots of pain, because of an accident, in which he was knocked off his push-bike by a car. Susan and her husband made a Novena for the relief of: The Holy Souls in Purgatory, and her husband made a remarkable recovery in a short period of time. Four weeks later Steve’s father was involved in a serious car accident. The Holy Souls in Purgatory were again invoked to help him. He is coping well. Susan’s mother had been cool towards Susan and Steve because of their interest in religion. Her attitude towards her daughter and son-in-law has improved a lot, after she saw the wonderful recovery of her son-in-law Steve. Susan’s brother Luke who is twenty-four, was very impressed with the recovery of his brother-in-law. He is now seeking instruction in The Catholic faith, with a view to receiving the sacrament of Baptism. There has been a domino effect on the attitudes of Susan and Steve’s relatives toward religion, since they have seen the results of the intercession of: The Holy Souls in Purgatory, for Steve.

Good comes out of suffering

For about a year Sarah was give a very heavy trial. She prayed many prayers asking for the intercession the saints in heaven, but received no help. In one of her prayer books was a novena prayer to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Sarah was very reluctant to make this prayer, because it actually asked the Holy Souls in Purgatory to obtain the favour for her when they reached heaven, and she was worried that this might take far too long, but in desperation she said the prayer anyway. (She now knows from reading books on the subject of Purgatory, that the Holy Souls in Purgatory can obtain favours for their benefactors, while they are still in the flames of Purgatory.)

The prayer that was in the novena book, was one in which you offer your merits for a chosen period of time, for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Sarah’s offering was for that particular month. She renewed the offering for nine days in row, not that this was necessary. Once would have been enough. At the end of the nine days the prayer was granted! Sarah told a lady in her parish about this favour, and the lady urged her to tell another lady named Jennifer about the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, because Jennifer was involved in a long running dispute, which was threatening to cause financial disaster for her. Sarah rang Jennifer and advised her. Jennifer made an offering for the Holy Souls and the dispute was resolved the very same day! This led Sarah to become a passionate promoter of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and as a result, other people have also received favours.

Help in times of temptation and depression

The Holy Souls in Purgatory have helped me through the darkness days of my life, and have also helped me to overcome temptation. (from an internet friend)

Some wonderful unexpected results for benefactors of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Ourfamily helps the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and sometimes wonderful unexpected things happen. Here are some examples: my daughters went to Mass one Saturday night; it was already dark when they walked past the apartments across the road from us. There was definitely nothing on the sidewalk at that time, but when they returned just over an hour later, there was a very good, round strong, timber coffee table and four matching chairs, put out for the tip!

They were in excellent condition and looked great. It is hard to imagine why anyone would want to throw them out. We now have the coffee table and the matching chairs gracing our lounge room (in a space that just seems to be right for them.) This has really improved things for our family, and is providing a great place for having a coffee or a cup of tea, and a chat with visitors. Another thing that has happened, is that a friend now comes every Sunday, and brings us loaves of sliced bread, (white, wholemeal and fruit bread; which I really like and which is great toasted, bread rolls, Lebanese bread, buns, Italian loaves, etc.) that the bakery could not sell at the end of the day. They are very good and useful. (We freeze what we can not use immediately.)

There is even some extra bread that I can give to other people, especially those who come to my house. One of our neighbours who received some of this bread, gave my daughter passion-fruit vines, which my daughter planted and in the future we can look forward to having some passion-fruit. In addition there is some less fresh bread, which we give to our neighbour, for her chickens and rabbits to eat. The neighbour is more than happy with this. I checked out the price of bread in the supermarket yesterday. The good quality bread (which is the type that I am given each Sunday is not cheap.) It made me realize that the weekly bread gift is really a valuable contribution, to bringing down the family food bill.

Always having plenty of bread on hand, has also helped me to make up some quick, tasty, economical meals; (toasted grilled sandwiches, filled with cheese, onion, tomato, salt and pepper), for the family when that is necessary because of time constraints, and for visitors who are coming to my house for lunch at short notice. This seems to give a whole new meaning to the words of the Our Father prayer: Give us this day our daily bread. The Holy Souls have also granted me many other favours. I pray that everyone will help them and spread their devotion, and tell others about their powerful intercession for the benefactors. (Anonymous)

A bunch of trouble makers

We were on holidays and were staying at a rented house near the beach. Five days after we arrived a group of men moved into one of the rental houses nearby. On the first night they screamed and kicked up a racket. The next day was even more upsetting. They ran around the balcony nude. There was even worse behaviour which I will not describe here. We closed the blinds so that we would be spared these sights. I thought that our holiday was as good as ruined. I prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked for their intercession to fix the problem. That night they made a bit more noise after they returned from their late night outing. From then on there were no more problems.

Alleviation of feelings of anxiety

Received on email: I pray to and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. This is one of the favours that they have granted to me. Whenever I have feelings of helplessness and insecurity, an email arrives that contains a bible verse or a saint's quote that somehow says just what I need to hear.

The missing sunglasses

Linda prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and asked them to help her to find her daughter's sunglasses. They were found a short time afterwards, in a place where she had searched the previous afternoon.

Admission granted after a refusal

At the beginning of the year, my two nieces were refused admittance to a hostel, because they are in the local area. I went on my knees as I always do, praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asking for their intercession regarding this matter, and within six days they were admitted to the hostel. (Sr. Elizabeth)

Testimony from an on-line friend

It has been my experience that novenas for the relief of Holy Souls in Purgatory are extremely powerful.

A much safer job

I have a brother who was working as a security guard on the night shift. On many occasions he escaped from the attacks of unknown people. Due to something that happened to him, I took him a novena for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. At the end of the novena my brother got another job, and he was told to start working on February the first. I really cannot stop thanking the Lord. He is always good and will remain the same for ever. (Sr. Elizabeth)

A gift of oil and coal to heat up a freezing house

One winter when the temperature was way below zero, we ran out of heating oil, because of that we couldn’t heat up the house. We had no coal and couldn’t afford to buy any heating oil or coal until a week later. I prayed for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked for their help and around three or four hours later, I got a phone call that my uncle wanted to buy us some heating oil and coal because it was so cold. I was so thankful. I remember that day well, it was so cold and rainy and got dark pretty early. I was walking home from town feeling chilled to the bone; not looking forward to going home to a cold house, where there was no heat, so I stopped in at a church on the end of my street and prayed and begged for about half an hour. I was so thankful when I got that phone call saying my uncle was getting us heating oil and coal. If we had waited a week in those temperatures without heating, we would all have become ill.

A painful infected molar tooth

I have received the assistance of the Holy Souls in Purgatory myself. Some years ago, I was out of work and in dreadful pain because of an infected molar. I promised the Holy Souls in Purgatory that, I would have three Masses offered for them if they helped me. Within a very short time, a friend of mine arranged for me to see a dentist friend of his at no charge. He looked at the tooth and determined that he could not perform the extraction, so he asked for a favour from an oral surgeon friend of his, who performed the extraction for free. The Holy Souls in Purgatory can and do intercede for us. (This testimony is from a friend on a Catholic forum).

Work leave approved after a firm refusal!

Kate asked her employers for time off, in order to go on a pilgrimage, but it was absolutely refused, even though she had accumulated a large amount of leave. Kate's employers said that they could not afford to have her off work at that particular time, so prayers were offered for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and a donation was given to a charity on behalf of the poor souls, and they were asked to turn the situation around. The saints were also asked for help, in particular, Our Lady, St. Philomena the Wonder Worker and St. Rita, the saint of the impossible. You guessed it. The leave was approved!

The birth certificate

The following two favours were granted to a religious sister who lives in Africa. In January this year, I went to home affairs with my thirteen year old niece in order to obtain her birth certificate. It was the second time that I had to go the home affairs regarding this matter. We came in and presented the required documents. The man who attended us, said that one of the documents needed to get certified by the policy officer from the original document, because the copy that we were giving, did not present any proof. Before I presented the documents I prayed, and as he was talking to me I continued praying in order to obtain the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. After a few minutes the man looked at me and gave me papers to fill in, later on he told me to wait for a while. After that my niece was given her birth certificate.

The school bag

Yesterday afternoon, when I was busy with my work in the operating room, my sister telephoned me to tell me that her daughter’s school bag had been stolen from the classroom. This was the second time that this had happened. My niece was crying and my sister was very upset as she was talking to me. I wondered what to do. Because I am a religious sister, I do not earn any money at all, and so I was no position to help her. I prayed for guidance in the matter. I felt as though I was told to speak to our religious procurator. I presented the situation to her, and she told me that she would discuss it with someone else, and that she would get back to me, so I waited for her call and at the same time I prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and asked for their intercession. Forty-five minutes later she called back, and said that she would help us to purchase a school bag the next day. Thanks be to God.

The presence and the assistance of a soul from Purgatory

The following story was received on email. Hello, I have a great story to tell about my experience with the Holy Souls of Purgatory. This is probably a little unusual for many people who've had experiences with the Souls in Purgatory but anyway, here is the story: For many years, I had the feeling of being connected to a soul who had been in Purgatory for a long time. At first, I didn't know who this soul was, but gradually I came to know him. It appeared that he had died at a young age (early 20's) and sadly, nobody prayed for him and nobody seemed to care much about his death. Many years passed and still nobody prayed for him. It seemed that he was just forgotte for a long time.

Nobody even came to his grave. He was a bit of a troubled soul who, though he had a heart of gold, still struggled with many transgressions throughout his young life. His mother, a devout Catholic, had died when he was young and somehow he never one hundred percent came to terms with it. It wasn't until around last year when I came back to the Holy Mother Church, that I began to pray to and for the souls in Purgatory, particularly this young soul who I did not know much about then. Suddenly, I began to literally feel this soul's presence every time that I prayed. At first I admit, it frightened me a little. But bit by bit, I began to know him and love him, ever since this poor young soul came into my life. The feeling is most extraordinary. I can literally feel his hands pressing into my skin in a soft, loving, sometimes pleading manner. Sometimes I can feel tickles, even though no one is there. It is a distinctly human touch, even though there is no flesh and bone behind it. I have never told anyone about these experiences, since they generally do not believe that these things can happen. But oh! If only they knew!

These experiences have pumped my faith in Our Lord by a hundredfold, if not a thousandfold! Whenever this soul comes when I pray and make reparations for his soul, the greatest feeling washes over me, a feeling of mighty and powerful love, and I know that he is there beside me and ever grateful that someone has finally come to his much needed aid. I still pray for him every night, especially since this is the month (November) of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. In fact, his presences have been coming even more lately, since this is the time when we should pray even more for these poor dears. Not to mention, I have had countless prayers answered, thanks to him, Our Lord and also our Holy Mother Mary. I have read that the saints have had souls in Purgatory come up and plead to them face to face for prayers. I wonder if anyone has ever felt a soul, but not actually seen one. No doubt, I am blessed to have this soul in my life and I will continue to pray for the relief of his soul. Thank you for listening to my story!

The missing mail

I had a wonderful experience with the Holy Souls. They intercede for us in the even the smallest details. I had lost a small stack of mail. In it was a DVD that if I didn't return by the 7th, I was going to be charged around $20. I was also missing two checks, that, while not quite that urgent, did have expiration dates on them, and I was pretty sure that they were in the same stack of mail. I prayed for several days to St Anthony, but was no closer to finding them. Last night I had an inspiration to make an offer to the Holy Souls in Purgatory: if you help me find the stack of mail with the checks and the DVD, I will use the saved $20 to offer up four Masses for your repose. (This was unusual because while I do offer up Masses for the Holy Souls and I do ask the Holy Souls for help, I hadn't before this year ever made a connection between the two). In the first place that I looked thereafter, I found them all, not only that, but I found the WalMart employee discount cards (my husband works there) that I'd never even realized had arrived. We had been waiting for them for a few weeks now. I added a fifth Mass to the promised four. So there is definitely a lesson for me: if I feel inspired to offer up Masses for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, no matter what the circumstances, I'm taking it seriously. There is incredible power there. (Dawn)

A difficult staff member

Received on email: For the past three years, I have had a staff member in our hospital, who was uncooperative with almost everyone else on the staff. I have been praying for her all these years, as well as for the rest of the staff. Beginning in February of this year, I started praying for the HOLY SOULS in PURGATORY and asked them to find a peaceful solution to this matter. It did not take long, she resigned.

Protection in accident

Last Friday I was in a terrible car accident, and by all accounts I should be dead, or have every bone on the left side of my body broken, but I walked away without any injury. I was pulling out of a parking lot. The traffic had cleared. While I was pulling out, a car came out unexpectedly. It was speeding. The car slammed right into my driver's seat door. I didn't even realize what hit me for a moment. It felt just like a cushioned blow. I was trapped at the time by the seatbelt, which is why I think that I should have been killed. I was horrified to see the car yesterday, when I went to clean it out. With the damage it sustained, one has to ask himself how in the world did I survive this? I am very very passionate about praying for those souls in purgatory that no one will pray for, and not for my own benefit, but because I would like to see purgatory emptied and all the holy souls go to heaven. I had the distinct impression that it was a holy soul who interceded. While I was cleaning out the car, the first thing I found was a rosary, and on the back of the crucifix, there were and still are spots of dried blood.

I DID NOT BLEED ONE BIT DURING THIS ACCIDENT OR AT ANY TIME BEFORE. Interestingly enough, yesterday, first thing in the morning, even before I cleaned out the car, I had read about the purgatory museum in Rome, and how souls would leave a "calling card". I AM CONVINCED WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT THE BLOOD ON THE CROSS IS A "FINGERPRINT FROM PURGATORY", something to show me that it certainly was an intercession from a holy soul that saved my life. The fact that I was uninjured is a true miracle, if you could only see the HUGE dent in the driver's side door. I should have been crushed to death. I hope that every soul that I have prayed for is now in heaven. I pray particularly for the poor Protestants in purgatory whose family members on earth, do not believe in purgatory, and who therefore do not pray for them.* I never do this with the intention of getting any personal gain. Every daily mass that I go to, and all the indulgences that I gain are never for me, as I don't believe that I am going to purgatory. St. Therese the Little Flower said, and I believe this firmly; Quote: If you look for God's justice your soul will get what it wants. Instead I look for His forgiveness and His mercy, as Jesus died on the cross for that, not so that I can go to purgatory. I believe most people go to purgatory, because their faith is so bad, that they don't believe in God's forgiveness. If we have true faith, the blessed mother will be with us the last hour of our life and pray for all the graces that we need to go to heaven and to bypass purgatory. Our souls will be purified right there on the spot, even if we didn't live perfect lives. End of quote (Frank)

Healing of illness

I would like to publish my thanksgiving to the Holy Souls in Purgatory for my son's blood test for Hepatitis C coming back negative. I have been saying the Prayer of St. Gertrude and the prayer offering my merits for the Holy Souls. I am so grateful for their intercession. Thank you. (Lisette)

Healing of illness and help to overcome drug and alcohol addictions

I gave the Holy Souls in Purgatory Novena to my mother and she has been praying it, and asked me to publish her thanksgiving to the Holy Souls in Purgatory and to St. Gertrude the Great for her grandson's blood test coming back negative, and also for the help they are giving him in battling his drug and alcohol addiction and helping him to stay sober. Thank you so much. Update: My son had completed his first phase of rehab for drug and alcohol addiction and did not want to go on to the second phase. I have been praying the Novena to the Holy Souls that God would guide him to make the right decision through the intercession of the Holy Souls, and he changed his mind and has now moved on to the second phase. I am so grateful for the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and wil continue to pray the novena and prayer of St. Gertrude the Great to help my son, myself, and all my family. (Lisette)

Help with infertility problem

My daughter and son-in-law wanted very much to start a family. Her doctor said that she thought that it was going to be difficult for my daughter to conceive. I have been praying the Holy Souls in Purgatory novena and yesterday, my daughter's doctor confirmed that my daughter is pregnant. I am so happy and grateful to the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their intercession. I will keep on praying for a healthy baby. Thank you. (Lisette)

Help to obtain a driver's licence

Teresa failed her driving test after paying out for many expensive lessons. The next time that she was sheduled to have a driving test, she offered up all her sufferings for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked them to help her to pass the test. She did so easily. (Please pray for her and for all drivers to drive safely and to be protected from danger.)

A constant source of help

A friend of mine gave me this testimony: Her mother always prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and also sought their intercession in her needs. On one occasion she was carrying a bucket of water with one hand and she reached out and pulled the arm of her daughter with the other hand, in order to make the daughter come along with her. The daughter’s arm was injured when she did this and the child continually cried with the pain. The child’s father was overseas on a visit to other family members and the mother was worried about how to tell him about the accident. That night she prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked them to obtain for her, that her daughter would be healed by the morning. In the morning she came into her daughter’s bedroom and held out something for the daughter to reach out for, in order to test if her daughter could do so without pain. The mother did not wish to touch the arm in case it was still in pain. The daughter’s arm was healed. The mother also turned to the Holy Souls in Purgatory whenever there was trouble in the family and asked for their help. She had great confidence in their intercession. Whenever they assisted her with her problems, she would give her oldest daughter a Mass stipend to take to the priest to get a Mass said for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Speedy relief of pain

Thank you Holy Souls in Purgatory for hearing my prayers and speedily bringing me total pain relief after my accident.

Healing of cysts

There was a large cyst on the side of my face. People kept commenting on it. My doctor suggested that I have plastic surgery to have it removed. I prayed a novena for the relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory and gradually the cyst went right down. The need for surgery was no longer there. Since then people have asked: when did I have the cyst removed! I continued to pray novenas for the relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory, asking for their intercession and more cysts on other parts of my body (arm, back, etc.) have either gone down or have gone completely. Thank You Holy Souls. (Kerri)

Missing items found

I have been praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory each day. It keeps giving me a sense of peace, as well as blessings. I lost a very important card and searched everywhere and the card couldn't be found. I said a prayer for the Holy Souls, and within thirty minutes the card was found. I also have been trying to get in contact with a women about a package that I haven’t received, and never heard an answer in over a week. I prayed again and asked The Holy Souls for their help in what ever way that they could help. The next day I heard from the woman; she had a bad storm in her area and lost her electricity and phone service. The problem was resolved. I truly believe in miracles from unexpected places. (Linda)

Help in many circumstances

This testimony was received on e-mail: I have always believed in the Holy Souls’ help. I have solved all my problems by offering Holy Masses for them. I had a Mass offered each week, (sometimes for a month, and once for years) for them when the problem I had was big. I needed their help to get my husband closer to the Church, to find a good job for my son, for my physical problems and so on. I don’t plan my life, without their help and they have helped me and my family all my life. They are POWERFUL!

Acceptance and friendship

A member of a religious order for many years was not liked and accepted by the other members of the order. A friend who learned about this made a novena for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory asking them to give help in the matter. The tide turned and a warm friendship was extended to the religious from other members of the order.

Success in project

Christina has been praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and asking for their intercession for the success of a project for some time. She had a modest amount of success, then she had a Mass offered for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and within days the project flourished big-time.

A weight loss crisis

My son John has been in a group home since the age of 18. He is very autistic, however he is verbal. There were times when he became violent. Now he is on various medications, but occasionally he still flares up. We visit him each week. Over a year ago John started losing weight. Something was very wrong. John is a very tall boy. The home said that he was eating lots of food, and knowing John that would be true, he has a big appetite, but the weight loss continued and he ended up looking like a thin cancer patient. I was literally out of my mind praying for help, because no one knew why this was happening.

I prayed to all the saints etc, but especially to the Holy Souls in Purgatory because I really feared that John would die, because he just kept dropping weight. Did he have cancer or worms or something else? Doctors could not find anything wrong with John to explain the weight loss. It was a nightmare. The carers at the home eventually found the answer. After John’s meals he went to the toilet and put his finger down his throat and for the fun of it, he vomited up all the food. John was cunning enough to flush the toilet while he was doing this, so that the carers would not know what was happening. When this was discovered, the carers “kept John prisoner” after each meal for a few hours to let him digest the food. They continued this for many months and John grew out of the “need” to vomit up the food. I can assure you I was really scared and even felt ill on account of John's weight loss crisis. It was terrifying. John regained the weight that he had lost. Please pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and ask them for their intercession in all your needs, spiritual and temporal. (Mary Ann), Australia.

Speedy help with finding a lost item

Today my autistic daughter took the smart card out of the box above the TV. This means that no TV could be viewed. (It is cable pay TV.) She could not tell us where she put it. We have a big house and looked around for the card. I said a prayer to St Anthony and then prayed the St. Gertrude prayer for the Holy Souls several times. It was found quickly. My daughter had put it under the TV box. My husband lifted this up and found it. This is the last place that the rest of us would have ever thought of looking for it.

Employment in a specified location

Monica was in need of a job. She prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked them to intercede for her, that she would find employment in a particular shopping complex located in a nearby suburb near the railway station. The favour was granted.

Lost cell phone pin number

Two months ago I lost the pin number for my cell phone. Because of this I had to leave it open all the time, because without the number, I would not be able to start the phone up again. I started praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and after two days I found the pin number. Thank you Holy Souls for your help. E. R. Namibia.

The word processor

I pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and also ask their intercession in all my needs. Since I left school, I have progressed through various technologies, a manual typewriter, an electric typewriter, a Word Processor (a machine that looks and functions like an electronic typewriter, but is also able to store text data onto a floppy disk and print the data out), then I went onto computers which our family has upgraded from time to time. The Word Processor was functional until a few years ago and then the disk drive stopped working, effectively reducing the machine to an electronic typewriter. I have a lot of files stored on floppy disks for the Word Processor, which I want to have a look at and make an assessment of. I prayed for a solution and a lady we know said that her husband had once repaired these machines for a living. He would have done that for us, but the replacement parts are simply not available and no one sells this equipment anymore. I was told by another mechanic, that even if the parts were available that it would be very costly to repair the Word Processor, (out of all portion to its worth).

In short the situation was hopeless. I put the broken Word Processor into the shed for storage, in case something could be done in the future and continued to pray. I prayed for the Holy Souls a few days ago and my brother telephoned me. He had just purchased a house for his family. The previous owners of the house left a few things in the shed that my brother and his family were allowed to have. My brother said that there was “an electric typewriter” in the shed and asked me if I want to have it. I started asking my brother questions about the ‘typewriter’. It turned out to be an upgraded model of my word processor. It is even the same brand. This is important because the disks were formatted for this particular brand alone and would be incompatible with other brands of Word Processor. It is in excellent condition and can read the files on the floppy disks. It had one part missing (a plastic knob to turn the carriage) and I took that part from my own Word Processor and put it on the one that my brother gave me.

It prints well. Very few people would even require such a piece of equipment and they are almost impossible to obtain. My brother had no idea that I had been praying for exactly this. He showed it to his wife and asked her what he should do with this ‘typewriter’. She told him to throw it out! Then he thought of me and phoned. It is strange that he did because he is well aware of the technology that I have at my disposal and that would have made anyone else think that I had absolutely no need for this piece of equipment. My sister-in-law was astounded when I came to try it out with a box of disks to test the equipment. She had no idea that it was not just a typewriter. The intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their benefactors is amazing.

The healing of family relationship

Kim's family refused to have anything to do with her for a whole year due to their own disturbed attitudes. Kim was really distressed. She offered up a whole month of her merits for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and repeated this offering for nine days in a row, (as is the custom when saying a novena). On the tenth day she was reconciled with her family.

A healthy baby despite difficult a pregnancy

I have been praying the Holy Souls in Purgatory Novena and Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great for my daughter and son-in-law to have a healthy baby. I am so grateful for the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for my grandson. My daughter had many health problems during her pregnancy, I am so grateful that she and the baby are both fine. Thank You. (Lisette)

Car that was completely "dead" is now running well

Right now I am feeling total awe, immense gratitude and the overwhelming feeling of just WOW. I say the St Gertrude prayer for The Holy Souls in Purgatory many times a day, since I found it on your web site. Yesterday (Saturday) when I was ready to go to Mass, I tried to start my car and there was nothing. It just would not turn over. I tried it several times during the day and my son tried it before he went to bed, but it still would not start. Before going to Mass this morning, I went to your web page, (as I do every morning before Mass) to say the prayer.

I decided to read some of the things on the web page, which I did the first time that I found your web site, but have not done since then. I read about you not being able to open the lock on your door and about your husband helping. I thought that "I should pray to The Holy Souls in Purgatory about my car", so before I went out, (I was intending to walk to Mass), I asked them to please pray that my car would start. I put the key in the ignition and said “please Holy Souls, pray that it starts”, I turned the key and my car started! I was what you could call struck dumb. I could not believe it, they actually heard me and answered my prayer, so I offered up my Mass and my Eucharist for them. I pray that more and more people pray to and for The Holy Souls, they need our prayers, and they DO listen to us and pray for us. Just ask my car. (Betty Myers, Centerach, NY, USA)

Healing of pain

On a Friday afternoon, Terri had an accident. She banged her toes against a wooden piece of furniture. They really began to throb and to feel bad. She took some pain killers and said many prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory asking for a healing. The next day that foot was ok, but the other foot started to pain. She then prayed the Mother Teresa Express Novena a few times, and before she went to bed that night, she made a promise to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, that if all the pain was gone by the time that she got up in the morning, that she would give a donation to a Catholic charity on their behalf. The next day (Sunday) there was no more pain!

Successful day at court

I have been praying the Holy Souls novena and the prayer of St. Gertrude the Great that my son would have a successful court date and everything went fine. I am so grateful to the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and will continue my prayers. Thank you. (Lisette)

Help with trip back home

This is my testimony of the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory for their benefactors. My sister had to travel about 800 km from the capital city of Namibia, from Windhoek to Rundu, but she did not have the money for the transport, which costs N$ 150- Namibian dollars. The other sister and brother did not want to help her. I had no means of helping her to go back home, but something happened for her through the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. On the second day of my prayers for them, I heard that some of our sisters were coming to Windhoek for a superiors’ meeting, so I called one of the superiors who came from Rundu, at first she told me that they were coming to Windhoek by public transport, then later on she changed her mind and came by car, therefore my sister had a free lift back home. I thank the Lord for his wonders and love through the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. (Sr. Elizabeth, Namibia.)

A change of mind and heart

A mother and father were trying to talk their daughter out of going to a particular social gathering, which was going to place her in a situation that was bad for her.They tried to reason with her, but she is by nature a stubborn person and did not listen. Later in the day the mother made one Mother Theresa Emergency Novena to ask Our Lady to change her daughter’s mind. She also gave a donation to a charity on behalf of the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked them to obtain this important favour. The daughter was determined to go to the party and even started dressing for it and putting on her makeup. When the parents saw that, they felt depressed. The mother thought that her prayers had not been answered. The father asked the mother to go and talk to the daughter again. The daughter informed her. “I am not going”. She decided to go to the Saturday night Vigil Mass instead. The parents were so relieved. It was amazing. (The Mother Teresa Emergency novena consists of saying nine Memorares in a row)

This is the Memorare prayer:

Remember O most loving Virgin Mary that never was it known in any age that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided, inspired by this confidence, therefore I fly to thee O Virgin of Virgins my Mother, to you do I come, before you I stand sinful and sorrowful, do not O Mother of the Word Incarnate despise my prayers but in thy mercy graciously hear and answer them. Amen.

(If you make this or any other novena, remember to help the Holy Souls in Purgatory as well when asking for the favour and to invoke their powerful intercession. Our Lord, Our Lady, the angels and the saints want us to help the Holy Souls).

Relief of chronic insomnia

I have chronic insomnia that doesn't respond to sleep aids, nor do I like taking them. It is very difficult for me to get to sleep, to stay asleep, or get back to sleep once woken. A year ago, when I woke up, I started praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. I prayed specifically, for the soul who was the closest to completing its Purgatory, the soul who was the farest away from completing it, the soul who was there the longest, the soul who was the most recently arrived, the souls who are most abandoned by those on earth, the souls of all priests and religious, then I prayed for my family and friends who have died. I prayed for each of them by name. Every time that I have completed this prayer, I have fallen into a deep sleep. I have never specifically asked the Holy Souls to pray for the relief of my insomnia, but I just might start. (Cari)

The furniture dilemma

I was in a pickle regarding some furniture that I had ordered, and some furniture that I wanted to sell. We posted an advertisement for the furniture to sell on Craigslist, but didn't receive any calls. I wanted the new furniture, but at the same time I didn't. I read something last night that made me realize that I didn't need the new furniture. I was being selfish. I said a quick prayer for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory last night regarding my dilemma. The furniture was delivered this morning, but it didn't look right, so I didn't accept it and it was returned. I'm now keeping my old furniture, which is still in great shape and I will probably just reupholster it in a different colour. Teresa, USA. Editors note: Asking the Holy Souls for help with our decisions is a really good idea, and I will do that also.

French Knitting

I logged onto the internet to find out how to do French Knitting. From the information that was supplied, I made myself a home-made knitting spool, (which is also known as a Knitting Nancy); with an empty cardboard toilet roll, some sticky tape and four paddle pop sticks. The video demonstrated what looked like a really easy technique to do French Knitting, but unfortunately when I tried to do it, I failed big time. I kept trying, but all I got was a bunch of knots and a headache. When I went to bed that night, I asked the Holy Souls in Purgatory, (who I pray for frequently) to please teach me how to do French Knitting.

The next morning I watched the instruction video again, and also watched some other videos on how to do French knitting. It worked. I managed to produce some very nice French knitting. A couple of weeks later, I purchased a packet of four different sized circular plastic knitting looms, (which ranged in size from 13cm to 29cm in diameter). I thought that the transition would be easy, but it was not. This time I asked the Holy Souls in Purgatory to teach me how to knit on a circular loom. They helped me to understand the instructional videos, and now I have the confidence to do more advanced knitting techniques. The Holy Souls in Purgatory are very good teachers. They certainly know something about knitting on a loom!

The Holy Souls in Purgatory also helped me, to learn how to knit properly, (on a long narrow loom). The knitting was not coming out well. I promised the Holy Souls in Purgatory, that I would publish the favour, if they helped me to knit well on the long loom. It took a few days and the watching of a few more instructional videos on the internet, but The Holy Souls in Purgatory came through for me. My husband commented that the knitting looked professional, like it had been done on a machine!

A conversion

I offered up a plenary indulgence for whoever (in purgatory) God would give it to, and then my husband, whom I have known for 15 years and who has never been interested in becoming a Catholic, (the opposite in fact), decided to start going to weekly mass, learning more about the church, and he asked me to register our children in a Catholic school, Miraculous! I had been praying fervently for this for years! This miracle could have also been the result of many years of prayers said by myself, our children, relatives and friends. In addition, my 14 year old son, decided to enter into a more prayerful life for lent and felt that he had few things to pray about - the most important of these intentions was for his dad's conversion. It was during lent that this conversion occurred. The day that I offered up my plenary indulgence was on February 11, the 150th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to St Bernadette. (anonymous)

No longer crippled

A friend became crippled. I prayed to St. Rita and also for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and asked them to intercede for the intention. He was healed without any medical intervention. (anonymous)

I pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and ask for their intercession in various needs. Thank you Holy Souls in Purgatory for the favours, that you have obtained for me and for my family. (L.M.)

Favours granted through the intercession of The Holy Souls and the saints in heaven

I would like to let you know, that I'm very thankful to the Holy Souls in Purgatory and to the saints. I had an urgent prayer petition. I prayed several novenas at the same time, having great faith and confidence. I prayed to the saints, (St Jude, St Philomena, St Rita, St Therese, and a few more). I promised that I would publish my thanks. Similarly, I made a novena to the Holy Souls in Purgatory to ask for their help. I promised that I would offer up a Mass for them. Now, I have Masses offered for them every now and then, usually once a month. I told them that I would have a Mass offered this Sunday and of course, gaining indulgences for them as often as I can, offerings of the Precious Blood, the way of the Cross, other prayers, sacrifices and penances. I also promised to encourage other people to have a devotion to them and to pray for their swift deliverance from purgatory. They heard my prayers and interceded for me.

As promised, I had a Mass offered for them yesterday. I really encourage everyone to pray earnestly for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. They are sufffering and they need our help. We can ask for their prayers and they are very generous in helping us. I asked my brother to make a novena to St. Jude. He was able to succeed in that important requirement for school. I express my profound thanks to St. Jude for his help. I prayed to St Philomena everyday for a stranger. This family had a son/brother who worked abroad and they haven't heard from him in thirty years. I prayed to St Philomena that this man would contact his family or would return home. After some months, I sent a text message to his sister. (Their story was published in the newspaper; that's how I got to know the contact number). I told them that I read their story in the newspaper, and that I am praying for them. I also told them to ask for St Philomena's help. I was very surprised and glad to read that they were able to get some information about him. His papers were being processed so that he could return home. This is a testimony of St. Philomena's powerful intercession.

(J. T.) Philippines.

A special intention granted within the hour!

This testimony comes from an internet friend on a Catholic forum. Tonight I prayed for a special intention to the Holy Souls, promising them three Holy Masses if my prayer was answered. It was answered within the hour! I'm so grateful for all their help. I am happy to have the three Masses offered for them. They are our dearest benefactors! I thank Our Dear Saviour for answering their request on my behalf! I HIGHLY recommend the Holy Souls’ assistance, they have helped my on many occasions, work, money worries etc.

Selling a car

Andrew signed a contract to buy a new car by a certain date. He put down a deposit on it. His other car had to be sold, in order to get some of the money for the purchase price. He was offered a trade-in price by the dealer, that he was purchasing the new car from. Even this dealer told him, that he could do much better than the trade-in price. Andrew put the car up for sale on a carsales website, but only received two offers, which were below the trade-in price. Prayers were offered for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and their intercession was sought for the selling of the car. The contract date for buying the new car passed, but the car still had not sold, and Andrew was faced with taking the trade-in price. Fortunately the car dealer, did not press the issue. Out of the blue, a telephone call, came from another Australian state, from a car dealer, who had a customer, who wanted this particular brand and model of car! The car dealer got one of his employees to come over by plane, to the state that Andrew lived in! The employee paid for the car, and drove it back to the other state! Andrew received two thousand dollars more than the trade-in price.

Help with a house sale

My husband is a US Marine, who was transferred to another duty station over six months ago. We are expecting our first baby in July and it's been difficult being here without my husband and without any real friends or family. Money has been tight and we have had the house up for sale for two months, with no success. I was getting worried that I'd have to remain behind by myself and have the baby all alone. I had been praying to the Holy Souls in Purgatory for help, but felt especially called to pray a Rosary for them today. This evening we got a good offer on our home (and it's a tough time to be selling)!!!! I am convinced that the Holy Souls in Purgatory were interceding for us. Now I can go and be with my husband and have the baby where he is. I am going to propagate praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory to all my family.

Theresa K., Yuma, AZ USA

Healing from fear, obsession and from the flu

A twenty-one year old girl developed an obsession which caused her to become very fearful. A friend told her to say the Saint Gertrude Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory many times a day to ask for their intercession in this matter. At first the girl did not want to say the prayer because she is a Protestant, but then she gave in and said the prayer and was freed of the fear and obsession. This convinced her of the powerful intercession of The Holy Souls in Purgatory for those who help them. She gave the Saint Gertrude Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory to a girl was suffering from a very bad dose of the flu complete with a high fever. The sick girl had been planning to go on a trip with some friends but that seemed to be out of the question. She too said the prayer and by the next morning she was completely free of the flu. She went on the trip and felt really well. (A. R.) Norway.

A good job

I am writing in thanksgiving to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, through their intercession my son got the job that he wanted. It is a very good job. I have been praying the Novena for the relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory and the Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great. Thank you so much for your intercession dear Holy Souls. (Lisette)

The following favours was originally sent for the webpage on this website that has been set up to organise prayers for those who are suffering from cancer, but I thought that it would be appropriate to publish it here also.

Dear Mary Ann, I wanted to let you know of the good news we have received. I think it's significant that all this happened during the (January 2009) novena! Of course, the first concern we have had is for our daughter’s health and for her life. Along with those concerns, we've also been facing some heavy concerns about how to pay for her treatment. Here in the US, most health insurance comes from our employers. Because our daughter only committed to her job for six months, her health insurance policy will expire on March 1. Treatment is very expensive, and we really didn't know how we'd pay for her care. On Tuesday, our daughter discovered a tiny clause in her health care contract that says if she's totally disabled (i.e. unable to work) then her coverage can be extended for 6 more months! That will cover her until all her treatment is finished!!!! At that point, she should be able to go back to work and again have health insurance. As significant as that is for us, it pales in comparison with our other news. At our daughter’s examination on Wednesday, it was found that her primary tumor has shrunk to less than 1cm, and one of her cancerous lymph nodes looks normal on the sonogram. Praise be to God!!!!! Thank you to the Holy Souls in Purgatory!!!! Thank you to the Infant of Prague!!!! Thank you to St. Therese!!!!! Thank you to St. Peregrine!!!! Thank you to all the other saints who have been interceding on behalf of my daughter!!!!! I thought you'd want to know how well the novena is working already! With deep gratitude. T. C., California. USA

Update to the previous testimony

The prayers are definitely working! At our daughter’s last two doctor appointments, the doctors said that they could no longer feel the tumor. That doesn't mean the cancer is completely gone, but it is the best possible news we can get at this stage. T. C. California. USA

Good news

Dear Mary Ann, Four months ago, I sent you an e-mail and asked you to place my brother, Joseph, on your prayer list. Joseph was diagnosed with stage IV Lung cancer in May. The news devastated the entire family. I remember reading many times - Ask and You Shall Receive. So, to alleviate my worry and sorrow and to gain strength, I turned to The Divine Physician and Healer of the Sick "Jesus". I placed my worries in His hands and placed my brother Joseph under His care and humbly ask everyday that He restore Joseph’s life to health again. I asked the Holy Souls in Purgatory to obtain this favor for me.

I’m here to tell you that God has responded. Joseph is improving. His current CT scans show the lesion in his lung is shrinking, the spots in his liver have pretty much disappeared, and the brain shows no trace of malignant cells. When one's life is shaken, ask God for help and you shall receive. The Divine Physician “Jesus” is restoring Joseph’s life to health again. The persistence and determination of all his family and friends in daily prayers especially my mother is a testimony of faith in the Son of God. Challenges continue up ahead but they will be countered by daily prayers, charities and good deed for this is a way to repay and appreciate Divine intervention and Miracles. I can not thank you enough for your prayers and I ask you to please continue on praying for him. In Christ our Lord, Tania (USA)

Missing borrowed books

A lady lent me some books. She told me to take my time reading them. A few months later she asked me for some of them back, so that she could lend them to another lady. I promised to bring them back. They were in the filing cabinet. The next day when I went to get them, they were missing. I frantically looked through all the drawers a number of times, but they were nowhere to be seen. I prayed some prayers and then prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked them to help me to find the books. They were then found easily in a place I had already looked.

A strange story

I will tell you a strange story that a mother and her daughter told me. You can decide for yourself what to make of it. Each night a friend would telephone them late in the night and ask them to pray the Rosary for her, which they did. When they mentioned this sometime later to another person, they were stunned to be told that the friend who had been telephoning them each night, had been dead for about six months! If the story that the mother and daughter told me is correct, then I can only assume that the friend who was telephoning each night asking for a Rosary to prayed was actually a soul in Purgatory.

Help with sleeping and staying well or becoming well if you are already sick

I wish to pass on a tip to everyone. Often in life there are many worrying things e.g. a relative who is on drugs, unemployment, a friend or a relative who is very ill, etc. I used to pray hard for all these kinds of things and then I added a good dose of worry and anxiety to the prayers. The prayers often got answered, but I became ill, headaches and much, much worse. Now I pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and then especially at night, when I need to sleep, I tell myself that because I have prayed for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, they have benefited from the prayers and will pray for the intentions, which I have entrusted to them all night long – while I sleep!

Try this technique. It really works! It has even worked for me when I have been in pain. I entrust the petition of pain relief to the Holy Souls in Purgatory and then I do my best not to worry about the pain (and not to pray any further about it for the time being) and then I do my best to go to sleep. Often in the morning when I wake up, the pain is gone! At the time of writing this, I have a brother who is in an intensive care ward and is seriously ill. If I was not practicing what I have put into this article, I would not have been well enough to pray for him again today. Not only would my brother be ill, but I would also become ill. Worrying when praying for important intentions, (and as a consequence not getting the sleep that you need, will lead to illness, and will prevent you from praying more later on). Spread around this advice to your family and friends.

The Holy Souls in Purgatory

The Holy Souls in Purgatory are suffering in great pain.

Please send them your good works and prayers

So heaven they'll attain.

Ask them for all the favours of which you are in need;

And now; just as later; when in heaven;

For you they’ll intercede.

When at last; they reach heaven;

and see God face to face;

Gratefully they’ll obtain all you ask;

And even lots more grace.

From heaven they'll watch over you;

as on the earth you still roam;

and do all in their power to lead you safely;

Towards your heavenly home.

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

How do I pray for a special group of people in Purgatory?

If you want to pray for a special group of people in Purgatory e.g. Protestants, mothers, relatives, etc. you do not need any special prayers, you just say the normal prayers which you say for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, e.g. Rosary, St. Gertrude prayer etc., and then mention the group of souls which you would like to benefit from the prayers.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I ask you through the intercession of your most holy Mother Mary, and all the angels and saints, to inspire many people with an ardent charity for the relief of the poor souls.

A sermon that is flawed

This is the kind of sermon that I never want to hear again, and hope is never given about me after my death. “Suzie died during the week. She has joined the saints. Suzie suffered a great deal (in this case chronic pain). She would have very little to atone for, and would have done her Purgatory here on earth." (This is a real sermon. I did not make it up.)

This kind of sermon takes a lot for granted, and is not fair to Suzie, who might actually be in Purgatory. (There is no denial of Purgatory in this sermon, but there is an instant canonization.) The Church is the only authority on canonisation, not Father X, Y, or Z. (Suzie is not her real name.)

Here is one of my home-grown prayers to ask for favours from the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Holy Souls in Purgatory, I have prayed for you and I will continue to pray for you, and to encourage others to pray for you, in return please obtain for me through your intercession, the following favours (state your petitions). I also ask the whole court of heaven to grant me these favours also. Dear saints in heaven please pray for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory especially (here name the soul that you most wish them to pray for).

More ideas for helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory

There are people who work as organisational experts, who advise people how to organise their life with housework and errands etc. so that we get things done quicker and more efficiently, and use up those “dead moments”. One of their good ideas is that we take our writing pad and pen, and catch up with writing notes to family and friends, while we are waiting in the doctor's reception room or waiting for the train, or take with us a book that we otherwise don't have time to read, or our knitting, crocheting kit etc. They advise us to use the “dead time”, those boring moments when we are stuck waiting for someone and we can't do the laundry, or sweep the floor or catch up with something else.

Their ideas are good, but I think that to pray the St Gertrude prayer for the Holy Souls (silently), while we are waiting for the doctor, or walking along the street, hanging out the washing, (which is not strictly a do nothing moment, but is the kind of activity that you can do while praying at the same time), would be really beneficial to them and to our own souls. It would beat writing your thank you letters or making your to-do lists, during the waiting times. A printed out copy of the prayer would help you to focus better, but watch out for the cars if you are crossing the road! An extra tip: As well as helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory yourself, ask the saints to pray for them also.

Can the Holy Souls in Purgatory obtain favours for us while they are still in Purgatory?

The answer is yes! Saint Catherine of Bologna assured her sisters that: she obtained many favours by the prayers of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, which she had asked for in vain, through the intercession of the saints. Editors note: Please still pray to the Saints, but also pray for and to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

A small homegrown prayer

Merciful Jesus, Please grant that I and my family and a vast number of people throughout the world, will have an ardent charity for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, and will encourage others to pray for them also. Amen.

The Heroic Act

There is a way which you can help the Holy Souls in Purgatory after your own death. The following information will show you how to do this. The Heroic Act, consists in offering to God in favour of the Souls in Purgatory all the works of satisfaction we practice during life and all the suffrages that will be offered for us after death. If God rewards so abundantly the most trifling alms given to a poor man in His name what an immense reward will he not give to those who offer all their works of satisfaction in life and death for the Souls He loves so dearly. This Act does not prevent priests from offering Mass for the intentions they wish, or lay-people from praying for any persons or other intentions they desire. We counsel everyone to make this act. Will you be disadvantaged by doing this? The following story shows that this is highly unlikely. St. Gertrude was fiercely tempted by the devil when she came to die.

The evil spirit reserves dangerous and subtle temptations for our last moments. As he could find no other ruse sufficiently clever with which to assail the saint, he thought to disturb her beautiful peace of soul by suggesting that she would surely remain long years in the awful fires of Purgatory since, he reminded her, she had made over long ago all her suffrages to other souls. Our Blessed Lord, not content with sending His angels and the thousands of souls, she had released, to assist her, came Himself in person to drive Satan away and comfort His dear saint. He told her that in exchange for all she had done for the Holy Souls He would take her straight to heaven and would multiply a hundredfold all her merits. A thought comes to mind regarding the Heroic Act: Our Lord’s words regarding a sinner: “Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved much”. Because the Heroic Act is so generous, we can expect great mercy to be given to us when we come to be judged.

Below is a prayer that you can use to make the Heroic Act

O eternal and most merciful Father, accept the oblation which I make to Thee, in union with the Most Sacred Heart of Thy Divine Son Jesus, of all the merits of the life, sufferings, and death of the same Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, in behalf of the Souls, suffering in Purgatory. I offer to Thee, O Heavenly Father, for their deliverance from suffering, for their admission to the joys of Heaven, the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the immense and superabundant merits of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, of all the holy martyrs, and of all the saints in Heaven and on earth. I offer, also, and resign entirely, in favour of those suffering Souls, all my satisfactory works, and those of others applied to me in life or death, and after my passage to eternity: and in order to render this poor offering of mine more acceptable to Thee, and more beneficial to the Souls for whom I make it, I unite it to the infinite and most pleasing homage which the Divine Heart of Jesus is continually paying to Thy Majesty. I place it in the most pure hands of Mary Immaculate, that she may present it to Thee, as a pleasing holocaust, and distribute according to her good pleasure the graces, favours and relief obtained from Thy infinite mercy.

One of the ways that you can gain a Plenary Indulgence

You can gain a plenary indulgence by saying The Rosary (five decades) in a church, (before the Blessed Sacrament) or in a family group, and by fulfilling three other conditions.

1. Sacramental Confession within seven days before or after the indulgenciable action

2. Eucharistic Communion

3. Prayers for the pope's intention.

In addition it is necessary to be free from all attachment to sin. (You have to be in a state of grace at the moment that you make the indulgenciable action) One Sacramental Confession suffices to gain several plenary indulgences, but for each plenary indulgence Communion must be received and prayers for the Pope's intentions must be said. One Our Father and One Hail Mary fully satisfy the condition of praying for the pope's intentions.

(A plenary indulgence is granted, if the Rosary is recited in a church or public oratory or in a family group, or in a religious community of pious Association. A partial indulgence is granted in other circumstances.)

Other indulgenciable actions:

Half hour of adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Half hour of meditating on the Bible

The Way of the Cross (where the station are legally erected, i.e. with a formal document from the bishop)

Source: enchiridion indulgentiarum

Special note: When you wish to gain an indulgence you must make this intention in advance, e.g. Dear Jesus I wish to gain all the partial and plenary indulgences that I can and offer them for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

.

An explanation of what is meant by: the temporal punishment left over after sins have been forgiven.

To illustrate what temporal punishment left over after sins have been forgiven means, I will use an everyday example. You can liken a sin to a violation of the speed laws for driving on the road. There is a sign that says: Speed Limit 55 miles per hour. It has been put there for a good reason. (If you drive faster than that it would be dangerous, because the road is only a dirt country road, and it also has a few potholes). However you drive your car at 65 miles an hour. You have committed a violation of the driving laws, (a sort of “sin” against the state government). The police officer comes along on his motorbike and orders you to pull over to the side of the road. He issues you with a speeding ticket, which will cost you $300. The speeding ticket can be compared to the temporal punishment which is left over after your sin has been forgiven. In the case of speeding the state government has "forgiven" you. They have allowed you to keep your driver's license and to continue to drive, but they had penalised you to the amount of $300. When we sin, and then ask God for forgiveness, He forgives us, but there is a penalty which we have to make up for either in this world, or in Purgatory. That is what is meant by temporal punishment. The penalty: the temporal punishment which is left over after our sins have been forgiven, is based on the number of sins we have committed and their gravity.

More favours granted by the Holy Souls in Purgatory

This morning I was unable to open my home office door from the adjoining room using the key so I went to the outside of my house and tried to open the front door leading to it. This failed also, (So both doors leading to the office were unable to be opened). I said a few prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and asked them to help me to get into my home office. I promised them that if they helped me immediately I would publish the favour. The publication of favours granted by the Holy Souls in Purgatory encourages other people to pray for them and to ask for their help. I informed my husband of the problem. He asked me for the keys and went to open the door leading from the adjoining room. This door has been a problem for a long time and I usually avoid the situation where I would have to use the key on it by just making sure that it is not fully locked but simply closed. My husband tried anyway and it would not open as usual. There is obviously a fault in the lock. He pulled the door handle towards himself and tried to open it again. The door opened. Until the lock on the inside door is repaired I will use his technique to get around the problem. Thank you Holy Souls for granting this favour to me.

Don’t give up on anyone

I read about one case where a devout client of the Holy Souls, did not bother to pray for a lady who had died, on account of the notorious life that the lady had lived. The client thought that her prayers for this lady would be useless. One day the lady appeared to her and begged for prayers. She was in Purgatory. (This is the opposite extreme of those who tend to canonize anyone, (except Hitler and Stalin) no matter what they done: e.g. lived in adultery, missed Mass on Sunday without a serious reason, cheated, lied etc.

Thank you Holy Souls in Purgatory for interceding for me, and for obtaining

for me the speedy alleviation of pain, inflammation and tingling in my arms and legs.

Trouble with the TV

Before I left the house on Saturday night to go the vigil Mass, my EWTN television (via a small satellite dish on the roof) was working well. There was a thunderstorm at the time. When I returned home at 20 minutes to 8 pm, it was not working properly. The sound was alright, but the picture on the screen was a digital mess. I tried to remedy this by turning off and on the TV set with the remote control every few minutes. This did not help. Then I tried moving around the AV receiver on the top of the TV. This also did not improve things. During this time there were two programs on that I was not particularly interested in. At nine o’clock my favourite programme of the week was scheduled. The chance of watching it was slim. I thought that the thunderstorm might have somehow upset the position of the satellite dish. At five minutes to nine I started praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and I asked their intercession to fix the problem so that I could watch the programme. At 9 pm I tried the TV again. The situation was still the same. For five minutes I just listened to the programme. I then informed my husband of the problem. He came and had a look at the situation and indicated that he did not know how to fix it. My husband tried the same things that I had tried. Then he asked me for the other remote control. He then changed the channel on the satellite and then changed it back again to EWTN and the problem was fixed up and I was able to watch the programme!

The holy souls in Purgatory can obtain every kind of favour

for those who pray for them and ask for their help.

If you have received any favours through the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory please email me and tell me about them and I might be able to publish them on this page. This will encourage more people to pray for their release. Some of the testimonies might also be added to the free online book about answers to prayer: Help from Heaven (Answers to Prayer) which is on this website.

An extract from the book: Read Me or Rue It by Father Paul O'Sullivan O.P.

The cure of a cancer

D. Joana de Menezes thus tells of her cure. She was suffering severely from a cancerous growth in the leg and was plunged into grief. Remembering what she had heard of the power of the Souls in Purgatory she resolved to place all her confidence in them and had nine Masses offered for them. She promised moreover to publish her cure if it were granted. Gradually the swelling went down and the tumour and cancer disappeared.

Financial help received speedily

I received the following testimony on email. I recently came across your website. I love the stories about the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and their powerful intercession for their benefactors. I pray to them, and offer up my prayers for them, and have in return, received many favours from them. One such favour I would like to share, (and one that you may publish if you wish) occurred in December of 2014. My cousin really needed financial assistance with her travels, and it was such a large amount, that we simply could not provide it, and in such a short amount of time no less. While my family worried about how to get the money for my cousin, I immediately thought about offering up Mass for the Holy Souls in Purgatory that week, because I had read many stories about their powerful assistance. I simply left the matter in God's hands. On the Wednesday of that week, a Mass was offered. Less than twenty four hours after the Mass was said, we received a phone call from one of our relatives who was willing to help pay for my cousin's travel expenses; a relative we did not even think would be willing! In my mind, I did not imagine how the money could possibly be obtained, but I trusted in God, and that he knew best what to do. The Holy Souls have truly become my dearest friends. And now, I have finally found a purpose in life, i.e. to help the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

How Pope Pius IX cured a bad memory

The venerable Pontiff Pius IX appointed a holy and prudent religious bishop of a diocese. The priest alarmed at the responsibility put on him begged earnestly to be excused. His protests were in vain. The Holy Father knew his merits. Overcome with apprehension the humble religious solicited an audience with the Pope, who received him most graciously. Once more he pleaded earnestly to be excused but the pope was immovable. As a last recourse Padre Tomaso told the Holy Father that he had a very bad memory which would naturally prove to be a grave impediment in the high office put on him. Pius IX answered with a smile: “Your diocese is very small in comparison with the Universal Church, which I carry on my shoulders. Your cares will be very light in comparison with mine. I, too, suffered from a grave defect of memory but I promised to say a fervent prayer daily for the Holy Souls, who, in return, have obtained for me an excellent memory. Do you likewise, dear Father, and you will have cause to rejoice.”

The following account comes from the Book: Read me or Rue It

A group of priests were called to Rome to treat of a grave business matter. They were bearers of important documents and a large sum of money was entrusted to them for the Holy Father. Aware that the Appenines, over which they had to pass, were infested by daring bandits, they chose a trusty driver. There was no tunnel through the mountains nor train in those days. They placed themselves under the protection of the Holy Souls and decided to say a De Profundis (prayer) every hour for them. When right in the heart of the mountains the driver gave the alarm and at the same time, lashed the horses into a furious gallop. Looking around the priests saw fierce bandits at each side of the road with fixed rifles ready to fire. They were amazed that no shot rang out. They were completely at the mercy of the bandits. After an hour’s headlong flight the driver stopped and looking at the priests said: “I cannot understand how we escaped. These desperadoes never spare anyone.” The Fathers were convinced that they owned their safety to the Holy Souls a fact that was afterwards confirmed beyond doubt. When their business was concluded in Rome one of their number was detained in the Eternal City, where he was appointed chaplain to a prison. Not long after one of the fiercest brigands in Italy was captured, condemned to death for a long series of murders and awaited execution in this prison. Anxious to gain his confidence the chaplain told him of several adventures he himself had had and finally of his recent escape in the Appenines. The criminal manifested the greatest interest in the story. When it was ended he exclaimed: “I was the leader of that band. We thought that you had money and we determined to rob and murder you. An invisible force prevented each and all of us from firing, as we assuredly would have done had we been able.” The chaplain then told him of how they had placed themselves under the protection of the Holy Souls and they ascribed their deliverance to their protection. The bandit found no difficulty in believing it. In fact it made his conversion easier. He died full of repentance.

Giving something back and gaining a sense of achievement

Sometimes people express the need to, as they put it: to give something back to the community. This means that they have received benefits: education and other good things such as help to become musicians, or to excel in sports etc. Helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory by praying for them is a way of giving back. You would not have the Catholic faith if it were not for the people who went before you. Helping those who have contributed to your existence i.e. your ancestors and those who taught you the Catholic faith, who have now passed on, i.e. priests, brothers nuns, and others, is a way to repay them and it is also an obligation in charity, not just an optional extra. There are people in Purgatory who might have done nothing for you, but you should still help them as well. Our Lord said that: Whatever you do to the least of My brethren you do unto Me. There are people in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them, especially include them in your prayers. If you don’t feel like you are doing anything of any real worth, if you pray regularly for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, you won’t feel worthless anymore. You will have a real sense of achievement and will get an ever increasing zeal for this cause.

Novenas for the relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory

A pious lady was praying for the recovery of her health. She had exhausted every means and made novena after novena to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to St Joseph. etc. without success. But she was advised to commence novenas for the relief of the “Poor Souls” in Purgatory. She did so and entirely recovered. She was accustomed to say: “All that I ask through the intercession of the “Poor Souls” I obtain easily. With them I am never discouraged and I hope against hope.” (Extract from the booklet: Novena for the relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory.) This booklet has a special nine day novena for the relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory that consists of mediations on various aspects of Purgatory and special prayers for the Holy Souls. Novenas for the relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory can take many different forms. All sorts of prayers e.g. the Rosary, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, the De Profundis (ps. 129.) can be utilised to make a novena for this purpose, Including the following one.

A Novena of meditations

The power of effectiveness of this novena, when offered for the Poor Souls have already been tested. A priest in a neighbouring state has suggested this novena to many hundreds of people from all walks of life, who seek his advice and aid. Many favours have been granted-peace restored in the home; health recovered: employment found; relatives returned to their religious duties; property sold; success attained in business and professional life; an intensified spiritual life granted-all these and many others have been granted in response to the novena of mediations based upon the “City of God.” (Extract from the Book: Divine Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary, based on the revelations in the book: City of God, which was revealed to Venerable Mary of Agreda by The Blessed Virgin Mary). The novena consists of reading several pages a day of the "City of God” and meditating upon the minute and authentic account of each event in the life of our Blessed Lord and in that of His Mother, (in order to increase our love of God). The kinds of favours that are granted through this novena, could also be obtained through other types of novenas which are said for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Some more books on Purgatory:

Charity for the Suffering Souls, An explanation of the Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory, by Rev. John A. Nageleisen, (distributed by Tan Books), Purgatory, explained by the lives and legends of the saints by Fr. F. X. Schouppe, S.J. (distributed by Tan Books)

A method of increasing the prayers which are said you for after your death

Become a member of the Legion of Mary (either active or auxiliary.) All members of the Legion of Mary say special prayers every day, and in those prayers they pray for all deceased members of the Legion of Mary. There are also many other Catholic organizations which pray for their deceased members.

Here is another way to help the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Great benefits are conferred by the Sacred Wounds on the Holy Souls.

Promise of Our Lord to Sister Mary Martha Chambon:

‘The soul who during life has honoured and studied the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ and has offered them to the Eternal Father for the souls in Purgatory, will be accompanied at the moment of death by the Holy Virgin and the angels: and Our Lord on the Cross all brilliant in glory will receive her and crown her.”

Offer the following prayers for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

The Rosary of the Holy Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ also known as the Chaplet of Mercy

(May be said on the Rosary beads)

On the large beads: Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ to heal the wounds of our souls. On the small beads: My Jesus, pardon and mercy through the merits of Thy Holy Wounds.

These two invocations were taught by Our Lord to Sister Mary Martha Chambon, deceased, in the Visitation of Chambery, France, March 21, 1907. The sister received from Our Lord a double "mission", constantly to invoke the Holy Wounds herself, and to revive this devotion in the world. Promise of Our Lord to Sister Mary Martha: "I will grant all that is asked of Me by the invocation of My Holy Wounds. You must spread the devotion." (Sources consulted: Devotion to Christ’s Sacred Wounds and the Pieta Prayer book).

THE PORTIUNCULA INDULGENCE August 2nd. CONDITIONS:

1. Visit on the day of the feast a Franciscan Church or your Parish Church – there pray one Our Father and the Creed.

2. Make a firm resolution to avoid all occasions of sin.

3. Pray for the intention of the Holy Father – one Our Father, Hail Mary and another prayer of your choice.

4. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

5. Receive Holy Communion.

N.B. Conditions 3, 4, 5 may be fulfilled within the seven days before or after the feast. However it is best to go to Holy Communion and say the prayers for the intention of the Holy Father on the day of the feast itself.

Please write a letter stating how many Masses you require to be said. If you have a special intention, that can be mentioned e.g. for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The recommended offering is $10 (Australian) if you can afford it.

Multi-tasking

A good way to assist the Holy Souls in Purgatory is to have Masses offered for them through: Aid to the Church in Need. You can contact them at:

This is an American website. (The other website mentioned on this page is for people who live in Australia).

Having Masses offered through this organization is a good way of multi-tasking. You assist the Holy Souls in Purgatory, you support priests in poor areas of the world. The Mass offerings go much further than they would in a developed country. For instance the recommended minimum Mass offering in some areas of Australia is $10 (Australian currency). In Australia this does not go very far, but in a third world country I have been told that it can buy a large sack of rice and feed many people for a week. The people in these third world areas are usually so poor that they can hardly support themselves, yet alone the local priest, going back to the theme of multi-tasking, you are supporting the building up of the Catholic Church in these areas and are in the process fulfilling one of your important obligations as a baptized Catholic. You are also building up these communities with their education, infrastructure, health and housing and protecting them from the threat of communism (which will promise them the world and will deliver them misery) and are ensuring that they stay Catholic and not join some other religious denomination. In South American countries, poor Catholics are being diverted in droves into other religious dominations that have lots of financial backing. You can also ask the Holy Souls for necessary favours as well, perhaps for conversions and for an end to the culture of death. This last petition is an ever increasing need. On the TV news last night there was a very unwell man who is planning to go to Switzerland to end his life, because thankfully euthanasia (murdering yourself) is illegal in Australia, although there are definite pushes to have it legalized. I muted the sound of this manipulative TV news item so that my children could not be affected by it and told them that this man probably has someone encouraging him to do this. I had a particular Australian doctor in mind who we refer to here as “Dr Death”. I don’t know why he is not put in jail. Then the camera angle changed and sure enough there was the doctor that I had in mind. He was behind this unwell man urging him to end his life, just as he had urged others to do so. Unfortunately some of them have listened to him and have ended their lives. Please pray for the conversion of this doctor.

A good idea

People sometimes ask those coming to the funeral of their family member, to make a donation to a charity instead of bringing flowers. Why not give the mourners a chance to contribute a donation to have 30 Gregorian Masses said for the deceased person. Read more about the custom of the 30 Gregorian Masses at the following link:

St. Therese of the Child Jesus (who is a doctor of the Church) has taught extensively on Purgatory. She teaches us how to avoid it entirely and go straight to heaven. Father Dr. Hubert van Dijk has written a summary of these teachings. They are really worth studying. Read the teachings carefully until you understand them and review them from time to time. Apply them.

Use visual reminders to help you pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. One of the most obvious of these is a cemetery. Make a resolution to pray for the Holy Souls whenever you are passing a cemetery. Print out the St. Gertrude prayer for the Holy Souls and put it on your fridge door. Always put: Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, on your to-do lists. When praying for the Holy Souls remember that there are many souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them. Among this group are Protestants. That is because Protestants don’t believe in Purgatory, so they don’t pray for the souls of their deceased relatives. Recommend to the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory an end to the culture of death. Also use audio reminders. The audio reminders that I am thinking of are radio advertisements for funerals. Some of them are very funny. They include dad’s flashy motor cycle taking pride of place outside the funeral director’s chapel and then there is the unique funeral for your loved one. In this add we are told about how the poor lady elephant on the African savanna is surrounded by her fellow elephants and we are given the details of how the elephant funeral went. Then there is the grand-daughter who finds it too hard to say something in front of all those people on grand-dad’s day i.e. the day of his funeral, so she asks her mother if she can make a DVD with her speech on grand-dad’s life to be screened at the funeral. All this is good for a laugh. When you are finished laughing remember to say a prayer for relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory who don’t care about flashy motor bikes, DVD’s and elephants. Their only desire is to enter into heaven and to see God.

Quote from St. Therese of Lisieux:

“The chief plenary indulgence, which is within reach of everyone, and can be gained, without the ordinary conditions, is that of charity which ‘covers a multitude of sins.’”

What happens to my prayers, if the person being prayed for, is already in heaven?

If you are praying for the soul of a particular person who has died and that person is already in heaven, your prayers won’t be wasted. God will apply your prayers to another soul in Purgatory, so it is always valuable to pray for the souls of those who have died, even if they are actually in heaven, because you will be helping another soul in Purgatory. If the church has declared someone to be a saint: e.g. St Therese, you do not pray for them, but to them!

Don’t curse the dark, light a candle!

Some people might feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of souls that are in Purgatory, and be tempted not to pray or do anything at all to help them. Don’t curse the dark, light a candle! You can’t empty Purgatory all by yourself, but you can get many souls out of there, and you can also encourage others to help the Poor Souls. You must do your part in freeing souls from Purgatory (praying and encouraging others to pray) etc.

Purgatory stems from God’s Mercy.

If there were was no Purgatory, anyone who died with even a slight stain on their soul would go to hell. Purgatory is a place of purification. Make no mistake about it though, it is a place of great suffering. It is not like a waiting room, where there is air-conditioning, a water cooler, a vending machine with drinks, snacks and some magazines to read while you wait for your appointment. Having said all that, God does not want you to go to Purgatory and you don’t have to. God can give you all the graces that you need to go straight to heaven. You need to respond to them.

A very direct method of asking for a favour, through the intercession of the Holy Souls in Purgatory,

I have a very direct method of praying to the Holy Souls in Purgatory for a favour. It goes like this: “Holy Souls in Purgatory, I have prayed for you, and I will continue to pray to you. I have also encouraged others to pray for you, and I will continue to encourage others to pray for you.” In return please obtain for me, (put in your requests here; e.g. the healing of my brother Joe’s cancer, financial help for our family, the conversion of my cousin Kate, etc.)

I also ask the whole court of heaven for these favours also, especially the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, St. Raphael the Archangel (who is also known as the healing angel), St. Michael the Archangel, the guardian angels (especially mine) and all the saints especially, St. Philomena the Wonder Worker, St. Rita, the saint of the impossible and St. Nicholas the Wonder Worker.”

(Choose your favourite saints for the saints’ section of the prayer). Please note that I do not have a brother named Joe nor a cousin called Kate. These are just manufactured examples.

Good works and their hidden flow on effects

Good works that you do in this life, may have hidden flow on effects, which you might not see until after your death e.g. if you give a prayer card with the St. Gertrude prayer for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory to someone, they might say it many times, but might also teach it to someone else. That person might put it on a blog or a website or make cards with the prayer on it to distribute. People who come to that website or receive one of the cards, might recommend it to their families, who then might spread it elsewhere. From there the good works might continue to spread. You may have tried to promote a good work and no one appeared to be interested, but there are sometimes factors which you do not see, and the work might also have a good works flow on effect.

An interesting contradiction

At the Princess Diana funeral service (Church of England) of course, there was the implication that she is in heaven, and at the same time the clergy man there commended her soul to the Mercy of God. How’s that for a bet each way! If she is in heaven as they seemed to imply, why did she need the Mercy of God? Blessed Mother Teresa and her nuns prayed for the soul of Princess Diana, who was Mother Teresa’s friend. They were more with it! I noticed this same kind of contradiction in a song called: The Three Bells, which is about a fictional character named Jimmy Brown. The song declares that he went straight to heaven and straight after that, (in the song), the congregation in the church (at his funeral) prays for his eternal salvation. It is a pretty song (with a nice melody), but leaves a bit to be desired in its theology. The bottom line is that; either he went straight to heaven or he did not. It is best for this (Protestant) congregation to leave canonization to the Catholic Church and to pray for Jimmy Brown’s soul.

The plight of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Try the following imagination exercise to help you to imagine the plight of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. (It won’t be sufficient, but it will be useful). I have taken these examples from real life scenarios involving relatives. Put yourself in the following scene: you are over eighty years old and live by yourself in a small house in a retirement village. You have a fall and break your hip and lay in agonising pain on the floor for three days, unable to reach the telephone and call for help. You have no food and drink for three days and there are other problems. (Use your imagination to fill in the gaps here). You cannot be heard when you call for help and are terrified that no one will find you and you will die there all alone. Three days later someone notices that you are not around and goes to investigate and rescues you. The Holy Souls are much worse off than that and are waiting for your prayers and sacrifices to rescue them, relieve their pain and deliver them from Purgatory.

Next example: you are in jail for over a year and a half, but receive only two visitors (very close family members), but other relatives don’t know that you are in there, because it has been covered up due to family shame and your friends don’t want to know you anymore. Finally two relatives learn of this and rescue you for the last six months of your jail term by sending letters and photographs to cheer you up. (You are helped by this). It is not possible for these two relatives to visit you because the jail is a long distance from where they live, but they do what they can to help you. The Holy Souls are in a jail like that waiting to hear from you (receive your prayers and sacrifices) to alleviate their pain and suffering and deliver them from Purgatory so that they can enter heaven), however unlike the jail that the relative was in, their jail does not have good meals, a TV set for good behaviour and a library and a chapel with a statue of Mary and Jesus in it, a reflection garden and a Catholic chaplain to help. The Holy Souls are in a terrible place with no comforts.

Spiritual millionaires

To the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the people still living on this earth are like millionaires. The people living on the earth have access to the spiritual treasures of the Church and to the merits of Our Lord’s Passion. If they are in a state of grace, they can freely avail themselves of those treasures. The living can and should bestow these spiritual treasures upon The Poor Souls in Purgatory, just as a wealthy man can and should give some of his wealth to the poor. A millionaire can easily help the poor. We can easily help the Poor Souls in Purgatory. If this is not done, when it can be done, an account of this neglect will have to be given to God at our judgement. Think about it: how much time and effort does it take to say prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory each day. The answer is: very little time and effort.

Pray for the souls of deceased priests

Don’t forget to include in your prayers for the dead, the souls of priest. They are often overlooked because people think that they went straight to heaven. No doubt some of them did, but not all of them. They are human beings like us, with merits and faults. I read somewhere the comment of a priest, that there is nothing so dead as a dead priest. What he means is that when priests die there is a tendency to canonise them immediately, because people think that such a good priest does not need any prayers for his soul. This even happens when they are alive. A priest asks someone to pray for them and sometimes the response is along these lines: ‘Father you don’t need my prayers. Say one for me instead’. This is simply not so. Everyone needs prayers.

A prayer for a deceased priest

O God, Thou didst raise Thy servant, N., to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, according to the Order of Melchisedech, giving him the sublime power to offer the Eternal Sacrifice, to bring the Body and Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ down upon the altar, and to absolve the sins of men in Thine own holy Name. We beseech Thee to reward his faithfulness and to forget his faults, admitting him speedily into Thy holy presence, there to enjoy forever the recompense of his labours. This we ask through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord. Amen.

O holy souls in Purgatory, thou are the certain heirs of Heaven. Thou are most dear to Jesus, as the trophies of His Precious Blood and to Mary, Mother of Mercy. Obtain for me, through thine intercession, the grace to lead a holy life, to die a happy death and to attain to the blessedness of eternity in Heaven. Dear suffering souls, who long to be delivered in order to praise and glorify God in Heaven, by thine unfailing pity, help me in the needs which distress me at this time, particularly (here mention your request), so that I may obtain relief and assistance from God. In gratitude for thine intercession, I offer to God on thy behalf the satisfactory merits of my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day (week, month, or whatever space of time you wish to designate). Amen.

Praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory is an excellent way of getting over disappointments and mending a broken heart. I once took a sewing course. The sewing teaching was a lady who dispensed wisdom as she taught sewing. She told us about a girl that she knew, who was heartbroken after breaking up with her boyfriend. Someone asked the girl to sew a wedding dress. The girl got to work on this project and had such a great time making the dress that she got over her boyfriend in a week! If something does not work out the way that you hoped that it would, find something else to concentrate on and put your energy into that and you will recover much faster from your disappointment and heartache. I suggest concentrating on praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and this will help you to recover from disappointments, even bereavement. In addition you will be doing something really worthwhile and charitable.

Can a person be too young to be in Purgatory?

Very young children are unlikely go to Purgatory. The Church considers the age of seven to be the age of reason. Since this is so, a child of this age can sin. In one of the books that I have, a saint had a vision of her seven year old brother in Purgatory. She prayed fervently for him, and sometime later she had a vision of him in glory, (read to go to heaven.)

The Holy Souls in Purgatory and the trapped miners a parallel

We rightly felt for the trapped miners in Chile, who were there for quite a while before being rescued. They could not do anything to speed up their rescue. They were dependant on others to dig the escape tunnel for them. The Holy Souls in Purgatory are in a far worse state than that, and suffer a great deal more. At least the miners could make themselves a little comfortable from time to time while waiting. (I am not making light of the miners' plight. It was truly awful.)

The custom of observing a moment of silence for the dead (what is behind this)

The custom of observing a moment of silence for the dead, has always appeared to me to be silly and useless, but now that I know that it was practiced by my Irish ancestors and that it has a real meaning and purpose, (offering silent prayers to God for the relief of the Holy Souls in Purgatory), I am ashamed of myself for thinking that. The explanation of the practice is helpful, but a lot of people will still stand for the moment of silence with some vague thoughts of the deceased, which will accomplish nothing except to make them feel emotional and also many people don’t believe in the doctrine of Purgatory. Not believing in something that is real, does not make it go away. A devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory should be part of the life of every Catholic. If you don’t want to go there after death, you should do what you can now, for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. From what I have read based on visions of saints and holy people, when souls are being released from Purgatory, the ones who were devoted to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, when they were living on this earth are usually released before the souls who did not have this devotion. This is a link to the teaching of St Therese of the Child Jesus on how to avoid Purgatory and go straight to heaven.

People have told me how grateful they were to get to read this information. For those of us who take Purgatory seriously, there can be considerable worry about spending time there. There needn’t be. The teachings at the link provided will explain why.

St. (Padre) Pio and the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Padre Pio was a great benefactor of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Souls from Purgatory often appeared to him, to ask for his prayers. One night there was lots of noise coming from Padre Pio’s room. The priest in charge of the monastery thought that there was a party going on in there. He called out to Padre Pio for an explanation. Padre Pio told him, that the voices that he could hear, were actually the souls of soldiers, who had been delivered from Purgatory and who had come to thank Padre Pio for his prayers.

Which is better: Helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory or the poor? An answer to this issue

This question is brought up from time to time. Here is the answer. Helping the poor and the destitute is a wonderful thing to do. Helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory, who are to use (borrow) Blessed Mother Theresa’s words: “The poorest of the poor” is an even better thing to do. Do Both. Help the poor and the destitute and offer up these works in favour of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. If you get Masses said for the Holy Souls in Purgatory offered through: Aid to the Church in Need, you help both the Holy Souls and the poor.

Our Lady of Fatima (regarding Purgatory)

Our Lady of Fatima said that a girl named Amelia would stay in Purgatory until the end of the world. This is a sobering thought. If we pray for Amelia, her time in Purgatory might be shortened. Remember that Sister Lucia said that missing one Sunday Mass (deliberately) can send one to hell for all eternity. The same applies for missing a Mass deliberately on a Holy Day of Obligation. In view of this, it is good to remember St. Therese’s teaching on avoiding Purgatory and going straight to heaven. The teachings are summarized here:

Please promote this apostolate to your email groups, and on your blogs and websites. Give people the link to this web page. This will be a practical way of helping the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Our Lord will reward your good deeds. (One lady who is doing this in her postings on a Catholic website, is making a noticable increase in visitors to this website.) Make this webpage, the starting page for when you start up your browswer.

Some suggestions

Set up a homepage tab for this web page, so that when you open up your browser, you will be able to go to the Holy Souls in Purgatory web page straight away. Alternately: you could make this web page, the opening page for your browser. If you are anything like me, this job can be handed over to another member of the family, who knows more about computers than you do.